Dictionary

install en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɪnˈstɔl/ (US) without the cot–caught merger
• /ɪnˈstɔːl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɪnˈstɔl/ (Scotland)
• /ɪnˈstɒl/ (Canada)
• /ɪnˈstɑl/ (US, cot-caught-merger)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɪnˈstoːl/ (Australia, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard)

Etymology

From Middle English installen, from Old French installer, from Medieval Latin īnstallō (“to install, put in place, establish”), from in- + stallum (“stall”), from Frankish *stall (“stall, position, place”), from Proto-Germanic *stallaz (“place, position”), from Proto-Indo-European *stel-, *stAlǝn-, *stAlǝm- (“stem, trunk”). Cognate with Old High German stal (“location, stall”), Old English steall (“position, stall”), Old English onstellan (“to institute, create, originate, establish, give the example of”), Middle High German anstalt (“institute”), German anstellen (“to conduct, employ”), German einstellen (“to set, adjust, position”), Dutch aanstellen (“to appoint, commission, institute”), Dutch instellen (“to set up, establish”). More at in, stall.

Meanings

1. (informal) An installation: the process of installing a software application.
   • The install takes a long time, but you can run it in the background while working on other things.
2. (informal) An installation: a software application that has been installed.
   • I've customized my local install; the out-of-the-box version looks a bit different.

Forms

install en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɪnˈstɔl/ (US) without the cot–caught merger
• /ɪnˈstɔːl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɪnˈstɔl/ (Scotland)
• /ɪnˈstɒl/ (Canada)
• /ɪnˈstɑl/ (US, cot-caught-merger)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɪnˈstoːl/ (Australia, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard)

Etymology

From Middle English installen, from Old French installer, from Medieval Latin īnstallō (“to install, put in place, establish”), from in- + stallum (“stall”), from Frankish *stall (“stall, position, place”), from Proto-Germanic *stallaz (“place, position”), from Proto-Indo-European *stel-, *stAlǝn-, *stAlǝm- (“stem, trunk”). Cognate with Old High German stal (“location, stall”), Old English steall (“position, stall”), Old English onstellan (“to institute, create, originate, establish, give the example of”), Middle High German anstalt (“institute”), German anstellen (“to conduct, employ”), German einstellen (“to set, adjust, position”), Dutch aanstellen (“to appoint, commission, institute”), Dutch instellen (“to set up, establish”). More at in, stall.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To connect, set up or prepare something for use
   • Each TBM installs two-metre-wide rings made up of seven precast concrete segments produced on-site. Each ring takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour to install. 2021 July 14, Paul Stephen, “A portal into the future”, in RAIL, number 935, page 52. photo caption:
   • Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion." 2013 June 21, Chico Harlan, “Japan pockets the subsidy …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 30:
2. (transitive) To connect, set up or prepare something for use ▸ To transfer software onto a device's permanent storage and put it in a state where it is ready to be run when needed, usually decompressing it if necessary and performing any necessary pre-first-run configuration.
   • I haven't installed the new operating system yet because of all the bugs.
3. (transitive) To admit formally into an office, rank or position.
   • He was installed as Chancellor of the University.
   • My husband rented a small, comfortable house, and I was installed as its mistress. 1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 12:
   • Theresa May, installed as prime minister in the chaos after the vote, could not publicly admit Brexit threatened jobs at Nissan, giving Ghosn huge leverage. 2026 June 20, “Boats, bankers and borders: five symbols that sum up Brexit a decade on”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
4. (reflexive, sometimes, transitive) To establish or settle in.
   • At Kiwi, 40 miles from Nelson [New Zealand], eight women installed themselves in the goods shed, taking with them their knitting, and a supply of food and magazines. The demolition crew was unable to pull the building down without injuring them. 1955 December, “Notes and News: Women Delay Railway Demolition”, in Railway Magazine, page 878:
   • I installed myself in my usual chair by the fire.

Forms

Antonyms

uninstall

Deriveds

uninstalled · reinstall · pay-per-install · misinstall · installability · coinstall · autoinstall · preinstall · installable · deinstall · installfest

Relateds

installment · instalment · installer · installation

Synonyms

seat · instate

Translations (79)

ko 설치하다 (set something up for use) · he התקין (set something up for use) · it installare (set something up for use) · gl instalar (set something up for use) · nl opzetten (set something up for use) · ko 깔다 (set something up for use) · az quraşdırmaq (set something up for use) · vi cài đặt (set something up for use) · fi asentaa (set something up for use) · bg монтирам (set something up for use) · hu bevezettet (set something up for use) · mi whakanoho (set something up for use) · lt įdiegti (set something up for use) · ja 導入する (set something up for use) · nl installeren (set something up for use) · sv installera (establish or settle in) · ru помеща́ть (establish or settle in) · hu beépíttet (set something up for use) · tk gurnamak (set something up for use) · ru устана́вливать (set something up for use) · ca instal·lar (set something up for use) · eo instali (set something up for use) · ka აწყობა (set something up for use) · hu telepít (set something up for use) · mi whakaoati (admit formally into a position) · cmn 安裝 /安装 (set something up for use) · km ដំឡើង (set something up for use) · lt atsisiųsti (set something up for use) · bg устройвам (establish or settle in) · ca instal·lar (establish or settle in) · hu installál (set something up for use) · lt instaliuoti (set something up for use) · pt instalar (establish or settle in) · id memasang (set something up for use) · mi tāuta (set something up for use) · de installieren (set something up for use) · sh instalirati (set something up for use) · pl zainstalować (set something up for use) · ja インストールする (set something up for use) · hu beszereltet (set something up for use) · ru установи́ть (set something up for use) · fi installoida (set something up for use) · hu felszerel (set something up for use) · ru монти́ровать (set something up for use) · nl aansluiten (set something up for use) · ka დადგმა (set something up for use) · hu beszerel (set something up for use) · hu bevezet (set something up for use) · hu felszereltet (set something up for use) · pt instalar (set something up for use) · bg инсталирам (set something up for use) · hu beépít (set something up for use) · ka დაყენება (set something up for use) · ar رَكَّبَ (set something up for use) · is setja upp (set something up for use) · sv installera (admit formally into a position) · ka გაყვანა (set something up for use) · fi palkata (admit formally into a position) · tr indirmek (set something up for use) · ru помести́ть (establish or settle in) · hu elhelyezkedik (establish or settle in) · cs instalovat (set something up for use) · pl instalować (set something up for use) · fa نصبیدن (set something up for use) · hy տեղադրել (set something up for use) · ka მოწყობა (set something up for use) · ru инсталли́ровать (set something up for use) · es instalar (set something up for use) · mi whakanoho (establish or settle in) · bg намествам (establish or settle in) · nrf înstâller (set something up for use) · hu beiktat (admit formally into a position) · sv installera (set something up for use) · ka ინსტალირება (set something up for use) · lb instaléieren (set something up for use) · fr installer (set something up for use) · bg въвеждам в длъжност (admit formally into a position) · ka მოთავსება (set something up for use) · ka დამონტაჟება (set something up for use)