To induce means to cause something to happen or to persuade someone to do something. When scientists induce a chemical reaction, they make it occur by adding heat or mixing specific substances. When a doctor induces labor, they use medicine to make childbirth begin. A stuffy classroom on a warm afternoon might induce drowsiness in students.

The word suggests actively bringing about a result rather than just waiting for it to happen naturally. A coach might induce their team to work harder through encouragement and example. Cold weather induces trees to drop their leaves. You could say that reading an exciting mystery novel might induce you to stay up past your bedtime.

In science, induction describes how heating a metal coil can induce electricity to flow in a nearby wire without the two even touching. That's the principle behind wireless phone chargers.

Notice that inducing something often requires effort or strategy: you don't just wish for a result, you create conditions that make it happen. When you induce something, you're the active cause, setting events in motion through your choices and actions.