(initiatives)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
An initiative is an important act or statement that is intended to solve a problem.
Government initiatives to help young people have been inadequate...
There's talk of a new peace initiative.
N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N to-inf
2.
In a fight or contest, if you have the initiative, you are in a better position than your opponents to decide what to do next.
We have the initiative; we intend to keep it...
N-SING: the N
3.
If you have initiative, you have the ability to decide what to do next and to do it, without needing other people to tell you what to do.
She was disappointed by his lack of initiative.
N-UNCOUNT
4.
If you take the initiative in a situation, you are the first person to act, and are therefore able to control the situation.
We must take the initiative in the struggle to end the war...
PHRASE: V inflects