Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

establish

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb [transitive] British English pronunciation: establish /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyestablish
he/she/itestablishes
present participleestablishing
past tenseestablished
past participleestablished
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    to make something start to exist or start to happen

    A proper procedure for complaints should be established.

    The case established an important legal principle.

    Mandela was eager to establish good relations with the business community.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of establish
    1. a.
      to start an organization or company

      The company was established in 1860.

      The government agreed to establish two committees to examine the proposals.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of establish
  2. 2
    to discover, prove, or decide that something is true

    The cause of death has not yet been established.

    establish (that):

    We have established that you were present that afternoon.

    establish whether/how/who etc:

    I was never able to establish whether she was telling the truth.

    establish a link/connection:

    Townsend's work firmly established the links between unemployment and poverty.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of establish
  3. 3
    to achieve success, so that people recognize your skill, qualities, or power

    Within six months, Caesar had established his authority over Gaul.

    establish yourself/someone (as something):

    Reagan quickly established himself as a promising film actor.

    establish a reputation:

    The Institute has established a reputation for the exploration of new art in Britain.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of establish
  4. 4
    to make the characters in a story seem real

    By what means does the author attempt to establish the character of the narrator?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of establish

This is the British English definition of establish. View American English definition of establish.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

tweet

the short high sound that a small bird makes

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog