Word family noun communication communicator adjective communicative ≠ uncommunicative verb communicate
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcommunicatecom‧mu‧ni‧cate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ ●●● S3 W3 AWL verb 1 exchange informationTALK TO somebody [intransitive, transitive] to exchange information or conversation with other people, using words, signs, writing etc We communicated mostly by e-mail.communicate with People use more than words when they communicate with each other.communicate something to somebody The decision was communicated to our staff late in 1998.2 EXPRESStell people something [intransitive, transitive] to express your thoughts and feelings clearly, so that other people understand them → convey A baby communicates its needs by crying.communicate something to somebody Without meaning to, she communicated her anxiety to her child. His enthusiasm communicated itself to the voters. A teacher must be able to communicate effectively to students.3 understand [intransitive]UNDERSTAND if two people communicate, they are able to talk about and understand each other’s feelings or desires Many couples make themselves miserable by not communicating.communicate with Parents sometimes find it difficult to communicate with their teenage children.4 disease [transitive]SPREAD to pass a disease from one person or animal to another → communicableGrammar Communicate is often passive in this meaning.5 rooms [intransitive]ENTER if rooms or parts of a building communicate, you can get directly to one from the other communicating doorsTHESAURUScommunicate verb [intransitive, transitive] to exchange information or have a conversation with someone, by telephone, letter etc, or by seeing themNow that we live in different cities, we communicate by e-mail.He is able to communicate using a special keyboard, which is connected to a computer.This message is not being communicated to staff. contact verb [transitive] to write to, phone, or email someone especially for the first time, in order to give or ask for informationNeighbours contacted police after seeing a man with a gun.She refused to comment when contacted by reporters from the local newspaper.get in touch (with somebody) to write to, telephone, or email someone, especially someone who you do not see very oftenI really ought to get in touch with Paula. It's been months since we last spoke.You've got my phone number if you need to get in touch.get hold of somebody to succeed in contacting someone by telephone after trying several timesWhere have you been? I've been trying to get hold of you all week.It's no use trying to phone Linda at work – she's impossible to get hold of.approach verb [transitive] to contact someone that you do not know or have not contacted before, in order to offer them something or ask them for somethingHe has already been approached by several professional football teams.The company confirmed that it had been approached about a merger. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
communicate• Doctors are doing research into how the virus is communicated.• Jack and I just aren't communicating anymore.• Now that we live in different cities, we communicate by e-mail.• Improper behavior by individual political actors or by government agencies is exposed and widely communicated by investigative reporters.• The course is designed to enable people to communicate effectively in speech and writing.• Andrea smiled at Jamie, communicating her affection for him with her eyes.• She tried to communicate her fears to her mother.• She's clever, but she can't communicate her ideas.• They couldn't communicate in writing, because William was illiterate.• During this time you will have developed the personal credibility to communicate persuasively at top management level.• The day before he died he tried desperately to communicate something to me.• These instruments are key to communicating train delays and platform changes.• In this modern environment, there is no need to communicate with anybody.• Does Raymond communicate with Della Guardia first, or does he go downstairs to address the faithful?• Ali was never allowed out, but managed to communicate with his brothers by shouting.• Many parents find it difficult to communicate with their teenage sons or daughters.• The most important thing is to communicate with your partner at the back.• You can communicate your mood to your baby without realising it.communicate something to somebody• We established a policy and communicated it to everyone involved.• She unintentionally communicated her anxiety to her son.communicate effectively• Emerson concedes that the new Clinton administration sometimes failed to communicate effectively.• The ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is also important.• The potential of graphs to communicate effectively is consequently being undermined.• Teaching is the ability to communicate effectively to the student or pupil, enabling learning to take place.• For their part, employees must communicate effectively what they want and need.• It is little wonder that these two camps have rarely communicated effectively with each other in the past.• Economic survival of the enterprise or its further progress depends on managers communicating effectively with employees.Origin communicate (1500-1600) Latin past participle of communicare “to give information, take part”, from communis; → COMMON1 