implicate

/ˌɪmpləˈkeɪt/

/ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/

Other forms: implicated; implicating; implicates

The verb implicate means "to connect or involve in something." For example, your cousins might implicate you in the planning of a big party for your grandparents.

Implicate comes from the Latin word implicare, meaning "to entwine, involve." When you implicate someone, you bring him or her into a group or to pitch in on a project. Implicate can have criminal connotations when it means "to connect in an incriminating manner," like when detectives figure out who drove the getaway car in the bank robbery — that person will be implicated for his or her role in the crime.

Definitions of implicate

1. verb

   bring into intimate and incriminating connection
   “He is implicated in the scheme to defraud the government”

   type of:

   affect, involve, regard

   connect closely and often incriminatingly
2. verb

   impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result
   synonyms: entail

   type of:

   lead

   tend to or result in