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Synonyms

Trivia Time

Introduction comes from Latin roots meaning what?

introduction

American

[in-truh-duhk-shuhn] / ˌɪn trəˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

introductions
plural

the act of introducing or the state of being introduced.
a formal personal presentation of one person to another or others.
a preliminary part, as of a book, musical composition, or the like, leading up to the main part.
an elementary treatise.

an introduction to botany.
an act or instance of inserting.
something introduced.

introduction British

/ ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən /

noun

the act of introducing or fact of being introduced
a presentation of one person to another or others
a means of presenting a person to another person, group, etc, such as a letter of introduction or reference
a preliminary part, as of a book, speech, etc
music
1. an instrumental passage preceding the entry of a soloist, choir, etc
2. an opening passage in a movement or composition that precedes the main material
something that has been or is introduced, esp something that is not native to an area, country, etc
a basic or elementary work of instruction, reference, etc
logic (qualified by the name of an operation) a syntactic rule specifying the conditions under which a formula or statement containing the specified operator may be derived from others

conjunction-introduction
negation-introduction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What is an introduction? The introduction is the first section of an essay. It presents, or introduces, the essay topic and includes a thesis statement. Students are usually taught to write an essay in three parts, with the first part being the introduction, followed by the body and ending with a conclusion. The introduction is often considered to be the most important part of the essay because it summarizes the essay’s topic and introduces the thesis statement. The thesis statement presents the specific argument the essay will make or the main point the reader should take away. Outside of essays, introductions are also used in articles, opinion pieces, blog posts, research papers, and other types of writing to entice someone into reading the whole piece.

Synonym Usage

Introduction, foreword, preface refer to material given at the front of a book to explain or introduce it to the reader. A foreword is part of the front matter and is usually written by someone other than the author, often an authority on the subject of the book. A preface is the author's own statement, and often includes acknowledgments. It follows the foreword (if there is one) and is also part of the front matter. The introduction is always by the author. It may be extensive and is usually printed as part of the text.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

introductions

plural

Etymology

Origin of introduction

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English introduccion, from Latin intrōductiōn- (stem of intrōductiō ). See introduce, -tion

Explanation

An introduction refers to a beginning — maybe presenting someone new to a group, or inserting a new idea into a project. In a piece of writing, the introduction makes clear to the reader the text's purpose. The noun introduction comes from the Latin verb introducere, meaning "to lead in." This “leading in” might be the formal introduction of a speaker, or the speaker's own introduction to his remarks. Or it might be the insertion of a new and different idea, as in British politician Lord Hailsham's remark, "The introduction of religious passion into politics is the end of honest politics, and the introduction of politics into religion is the prostitution of true religion."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

introduction introductions

Markovic made his way onto the fringes of the Parisian arts world and—through an introduction from another hustler from Yugoslavia—into a position as a crony, stand-in and bodyguard for the French movie star Alain Delon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

Credit consumption has surged with the introduction of Figma’s AI agent, a design assistant that can run complex tasks, CFO Praveer Melwani told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

For many viewers, the “Ted Lasso” plot lines were their introduction to those real-life issues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

She said the health board's clinical strategy for oncology had led to "key developments", including nurse-led clinics and the introduction of colorectal and breast metastatic nurse specialist teams.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

One could suggest that the new section on magnetism was added at the last minute, and that della Porta simply failed to revise his introduction in the light of his new conclusions.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

I swaddled it in paper and successfully completed my introductions with a non-moist handshake.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

He said emerging from the tunnel and smoke during introductions felt “surreal,” and his coach would agree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

So he paid up and the introductions began.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

They can pursue certifications tied directly to the role they want, shadow professionals, undertake projects that produce work samples and contact alumni for advice and introductions.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Calvin seemed to be the most congenial of them, and followed the introductions with a command to King Walker to “get this city boy some shoes for his feet.”

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023