induce
induce Lexical Profile
induce Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To bring about, give rise to, or cause a particular state, condition, or reaction.
"Certain herbal teas are known to induce a state of calm and drowsiness."
To succeed in persuading or influencing someone to do something.
"Nothing could induce her to abandon the research project before its completion."
To initiate childbirth artificially in a pregnant person through the use of medication or other medical procedures.
"When the pregnancy went two weeks past the due date, the obstetrician decided to induce labor."
To produce an electric current or magnetic state in a conductor by proximity to an electric or magnetic field.
"Moving a magnet rapidly through a coil of copper wire will induce an electrical current."
To derive a general law or principle from specific observations or instances by means of inductive reasoning.
"From hundreds of field observations, the biologists were able to induce a general rule about the species' migration."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'induce' with 'deduce': in logic, to 'induce' means to derive a general rule from specific instances, whereas to 'deduce' means to reach a specific conclusion from general principles.
• Rhymes for induce
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Latin inducere ('to lead in, introduce, persuade'), formed from in- ('into') and ducere ('to lead').