[+ obj] 1 a : to cause (someone or something) to be widely known and accepted
▪ establish a claim ▪ The film established her as a star. ▪ She established a reputation as a hard worker. ▪ The word is now established as part of the English language. ▪ The company has established itself as a leader in the industry.
b : to put (someone or something) in a position, role, etc., that will last for a long time
▪ As a young doctor he worked hard to establish himself in the community. ▪ They want to establish their children in the family business. 2 a : to begin or create (something that is meant to last for a long time)
▪ establish [=found] a school ▪ The city was established [=founded] in the 18th century.
b : to succeed in making or creating (something)
▪ He was never able to establish [=build, forge] a close relationship with his son. ▪ She established a system of tracking expenses more accurately. ▪ We need to establish [=set] more realistic goals for ourselves. ▪ The two countries established a mutual trade agreement. 3 a : to make the truth or existence of (something) clear or certain : to show that (something) is true or real
▪ He was unable to establish [=prove] his innocence. ▪ Research has established [=demonstrated, shown] that he played an important role in the negotiations. ▪ establishing a link between diet and cancer
b : to find out (something)
▪ Investigators are trying to establish if/whether anyone knew about these problems before the accident. ▪ I was unable to establish why these changes were made.