insist
Americanverb (used without object)
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to be emphatic, firm, or resolute on some matter of desire, demand, intention, etc..
He insists on checking every shipment.
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to lay emphasis in assertion.
to insist on the justice of a claim.
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to dwell with earnestness or emphasis (usually followed by on orupon ).
to insist on a point in a discussion.
verb
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to make a determined demand (for)
he insisted that his rights be respected
he insisted on his rights
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to express a convinced belief (in) or assertion (of)
he insisted that she was mad
he insisted on her madness
Other Word Forms
- insister noun
- insistingly adverb
- overinsist verb (used without object)
- reinsist verb (used without object)
- superinsist verb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of insist
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin insistere “to stand still on, persist in,” from in- in- 2 + sistere “to cause to stand, stop” ( stand )
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.
To name a moment so precisely is to insist it exists.
From Salon
But this season, attempts to climb in the draft by plummeting in the standings have become so obvious and cynical that league commissioner Adam Silver insists that it’s time for the league to take action.
Miss Piggy insists on living la vie en rose above all, including romancing herself.
From Salon
When giving evidence, Pereira insisted the device he left outside MI5 would not have been mistaken for an explosive, but added: "The news inside was dynamite."
From BBC
Tehran insists the talks should be limited to the nuclear issue.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
