invitation

in|vi|ta|tion [ ,ınvı`teıʃn ] noun count **

1. ) a written or spoken request asking someone to spend time with you socially or to come to a social event:

The wedding invitations went out yesterday.

invitation to: Nobody in the office had received an invitation to the party.

2. ) a request to someone to do something or go somewhere:

invitation to do something: She has received an invitation to join a new environmental policy body.

decline/refuse an invitation: The senator declined our invitation to comment on the allegations.

standing/long-standing/open invitation (=with no fixed date): The former president has accepted a long-standing invitation to address the conference.

a ) at someone's invitation/at the invitation of someone if you do something at someone's invitation, you do it when they ask or invite you:

They came to Washington at the invitation of the president.

3. ) invitation or open invitation an action or event that makes something unpleasant more likely to happen:

invitation to: He described the low wages paid to police officers as almost an invitation to corruption.

an (open) invitation to do something: The banks will take the president's comments as an open invitation to charge their customers higher rates.

by invitation (only)

available only to people who have been formally invited:

a club with membership by invitation only