Definition

1. Verb:

   • To ask someone politely to come somewhere or to do something: The core meaning of "invite" is to extend a courteous request for someone's presence or participation.
   • To make a formal or polite request for something: "Invite" can also mean to solicit or request something, such as submissions or opinions.
   • To encourage or tend to cause (something, often negative): "Invite" can mean to act in a way that makes a particular, often undesirable, outcome more likely.
   • To attract or tempt: "Invite" can describe something that is appealing and draws someone in.

2. Noun (Informal):

   • An invitation: In casual speech, "invite" is used as a short form for "invitation."

Examples of Usage

• Verb:

  • I would like to invite you to my wedding. (I am asking you politely to attend my wedding.)
  • The professor invited questions from the audience. (The professor politely asked for questions.)
  • Leaving your car unlocked invites trouble. (That action makes trouble more likely.)
  • The cozy fireplace invites you to sit and relax. (The fireplace attracts you to sit down.)

• Noun (Informal):

  • Did you get an invite to the party? (Did you receive an invitation to the party?)

Advanced Usage

• "Invite in": To ask someone to enter a place.

  • She saw him waiting outside and invited him in. (She asked him to come inside.)

• "Invite out": To ask someone to go somewhere with you, especially socially.

  • He was too shy to invite her out for coffee. (He was too shy to ask her to go for coffee with him.)

• "Invite over": To ask someone to come to your home.

  • We should invite the new neighbors over for dinner. (We should ask the new neighbors to come to our house for dinner.)

Variants and Related Words

• Invitation (n): The formal noun for a spoken or written request to attend or do something.

  • I received a formal invitation to the gala.

• Inviting (adj): Appealing, attractive, or tempting.

  • The dessert looked very inviting.

Synonyms

• Ask: To request something from someone.
• Request: To politely or formally ask for something.
• Solicit: To seek to obtain something from someone.
• Encourage: To make something more likely to happen.
• Welcome: To greet someone warmly, often implying an invitation.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Invite along: To ask someone to accompany you to a place or event.

  • You can invite a friend along if you want. (You can ask a friend to come with you.)

• Invite back: To ask someone to return, especially to your home after being out.

  • After the movie, they invited us back for a drink. (They asked us to return to their house.)

Related Idioms

• Invite comparison: To cause people to make comparisons.

  • Her brilliant performance invites comparison with the great actors of the past. (It causes people to compare her to them.)

• Invite disaster: To act in a way that is very likely to cause a serious problem.

  • Driving that fast in the rain is inviting disaster. (It is making a crash very likely.)

Noun

1. a colloquial expression for invitation
   • he didn't get no invite to the party

Verb

1. express willingness to have in one's home or environs
   • The community warmly received the refugees
2. request the participation or presence of
   • The organizers invite submissions of papers for the conference
3. ask to enter
   • We invited the neighbors in for a cup of coffee
4. have as a guest
   • I invited them to a restaurant
5. ask someone in a friendly way to do something
6. give rise to a desire by being attractive or inviting
   • the window displays tempted the shoppers
7. invite someone to one's house
   • Can I invite you for dinner on Sunday night?
8. increase the likelihood of
   • ask for trouble
   • invite criticism