innovate
gb/ˈɪnəvˌeɪt/ us/ˈɪnəvˌeɪt/
C1
English
újít, megújít
VERB
C1
1
újít
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone/company] innovates (in/with/by) [area/method]
To survive in a crowded market, the company has to innovate constantly.
A vállalatnak folyamatosan újítania kell, hogy talpon maradjon a zsúfolt piacon.
Startups often innovate by testing small changes and learning fast.
Az induló vállalkozások gyakran úgy újítanak, hogy apró változtatásokat tesztelnek és gyorsan tanulnak.
The lab is innovating new materials that use less energy to produce.
Learner examples
Our team wants to innovate this year.
A csapatunk idén újítani akar.
The company must innovate to grow.
A vállalatnak újítania kell, hogy növekedjen.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse innovate with invent; innovate is often about introducing or applying new ideas, not only creating something totally new.
Meaning
introduce new ideas or methods
Collocations
innovate in healthcare
|innovate in education
|innovate in technology
|innovate quickly
|innovate continuously
|innovate to stay competitive
|innovate products and services
|innovate the customer experience
|innovate at speed
|innovate through partnerships
Synonyms
pioneer (Emphasizes being among the first to develop or adopt something new.)
|
modernize (Focuses on updating something to be more modern, not necessarily creating something novel.)
|
reinvent (Suggests a major change to make something feel new again.)
Antonyms
stagnate (Means to stop developing or improving.)
|
copy (Means to imitate instead of creating or introducing something new.)
Themes
business
|technology
|work
|education
Definition
To create and use new ideas or ways of doing things.
To develop and introduce new ideas, methods, or products, especially to improve performance or meet new needs.
VERB
C1
2
megújít
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] innovates [process/system/way of doing something] (by [method])
They innovated their onboarding process to reduce drop-off in the first week.
Az első heti lemorzsolódás csökkentése érdekében megújították a beléptetési folyamatukat.
The hospital is innovating how it schedules appointments to cut wait times.
A kórház megújítja az időpontok ütemezésének módját, hogy csökkentse a várakozási időt.
We need to innovate the way we train new staff, not just add more sessions.
Learner examples
They innovated their workflow.
Megújították a munkafolyamatukat.
We want to innovate our service.
Meg akarjuk újítani a szolgáltatásunkat.
Common mistake:
Because innovate is often intransitive, learners may be unsure about using it with a direct object; in modern English, patterns like “innovate the process” and “innovate the way we work” are common in professional contexts.
Meaning
change established ways to improve
Collocations
innovate the process
|innovate the way we work
|innovate service delivery
|innovate operations
|innovate the business model
|innovate workflow
|innovate internal systems
|innovate policy design
|innovate manufacturing
|innovate hiring practices
Synonyms
revamp (Highlights making something look or work better, often through a noticeable overhaul.)
|
streamline (Focuses on making a process simpler or more efficient.)
|
reform (Often used for systems or institutions, especially in government or organizations.)
Antonyms
maintain (Means to keep something the same rather than changing it.)
|
preserve (Emphasizes protecting existing practices from change.)
Themes
work
|business
|government
|process
Definition
To improve an existing way of doing something by making changes.
To make changes to an existing system, process, or way of doing things in order to improve it.
Grammar
Dictionary form
innovate
IPA
GB/ˈɪnəvˌeɪt/
US/ˈɪnəvˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
in - nov - ate (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (in)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: innovate
- 3rd Person Singular: innovates
- Present Participle: innovating
- Past: innovated
Word family
Forms
innovates
verb
innovating
verb
innovated
verb
Core family
Related words
innovatively
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
uninnovative
adjective
Advanced or less common
innovativeness
noun
Expressions
innovate around [something]
1/ˈɪnəvˌeɪt ɚˈaʊnd sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
business
find creative solutions despite limits
To be creative even when something limits you.
Examples
- With limited funding, the team innovated around the budget constraint.
- Engineers innovated around the chip shortage by redesigning the board.
- The company innovated around strict regulations by changing its delivery model.
Learner examples
- We innovated around the problem.
innovate on/upon [something]
1/ˈɪnəvˌeɪt ənəpən sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
build on an existing idea
To improve an existing idea or product with new changes.
Examples
- The new model innovates on the original by adding better battery life.
- Rather than starting from scratch, they innovated upon a proven design.
- The team is innovating on last year’s approach to make it cheaper to run.
Learner examples
- We innovated on the old plan.
- They innovate upon existing products.
innovate or die
1/ˈɪnəvˌeɪt ˈɔɹ dˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
business
must innovate to survive
If you don’t innovate, you will fail.
Examples
- In the tech industry, it’s innovate or die.
- The CEO framed the challenge in simple terms: innovate or die.
- For some retailers facing online competition, it can feel like innovate or die.
Learner examples
- In this market, it’s innovate or die.