establish

verb

i-ˈsta-blish How to pronounce establish (audio)
Definition of establishnext
1
as in to prove
to gain full recognition or acceptance of a first novel that established him as one of the most promising writers of his generation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to demonstrate
to show the existence or truth of by evidence the developers haven't established that there's a need for another shopping center in town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to initiate
to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of established the first school in the town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of establish To mark the upcoming departure of longtime MCA Chicago director Madeleine Grynsztejn, who established the initiative, the WAI will be renamed the Madeleine Fund for Women Artists. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 Recognizing the role of drones Two years ago, Ukraine became the first country to establish drones as an independent branch of its military. — Greg Myre, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026 The two projects point to a broader effort to establish dedicated fuel infrastructure around SpaceX’s major Starship launch sites. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026 The records also did not establish the exact supplement, dose, duration or consistency of use. — Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for establish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for establish
  1. prove
  2. demonstrate
  3. initiate
  4. create
  5. found
  6. introduce
  7. pioneer
  8. launch
Verb
  • Finding people at high risk of incubating the Bundibugyo virus, also known as contact tracing, has proved difficult in Congo.
    — CONSTANT SAME BAGALWA, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Finding people at high risk of incubating the Bundibugyo virus — also known as contact tracing — has proved difficult in Congo.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of prove
Verb
  • There, local fishermen demonstrated their sustainable crayfish harvesting process, and as a spectacular touch, the helicopter lifted one of the crayfish tanks straight out of the ocean, giving our client a dramatic view of the abundant catch.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • French youths have been demonstrating over poor conditions at school buildings, and analysts expect unrest to intensify after a teenager’s hand was blown off by a riot police sting grenade.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of demonstrate
Verb
  • New forms of payment, including digital currency, are working their way into everyday transactions, and AI is beginning to move from informing decisions to initiating and completing them.
    — Andy Zosel, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • That's the message in a Tuesday note from analysts at Melius who initiated coverage on the housing sector — putting a buy rating and a $397-per-share price target on Home Depot .
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of initiate
Verb
  • Using sine wave generators and pink lighting so saturated it essentially blots out all other color and shadow, Young and Zazeela created a space that’s somehow both static and full of life.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Simply liking someone, feeling close to them or spending hours together isn’t enough to create an attachment relationship.
    — Pascal Vrticka, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of create
Verb
  • Fabscrap was founded in 2016 by New York City Department of Sanitation employee Jessica Schreiber.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
  • King Promise founded Rent Paid to fundraise for local community charities, including the Nungua Orphanage, which provides support to those under 16 in the area.
    — Sophie Williams, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of found
Verb
  • Over time, Buddhism introduced ideas of reincarnation and karmic retribution, linking a person's fate after death to their actions in life.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Retail and e-commerce companies are increasingly using AI to gather customer data and introduce dynamic or personalized pricing, according to the Bank of England.
    — Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of introduce
Verb
  • The pair are known for pioneering research into autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The spa One&Only is no stranger to championing pioneering spa brands, having previously partnered with Clinique La Prairie for One Za'abeel, Dubai, and Henri Chenot for Portonovi.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of pioneer
Verb
  • The Houthis launched one of their biggest attacks since hostilities restarted on Thursday, attacking across at least 20 locations.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The trial began in July and is one of several studies launched to find some protection and another way of at least slowing the outbreak.
    — CONSTANT SAME BAGALWA, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of launch

Browse Nearby Words

essentials
establish
established
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Establish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/establish. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All