insist meaning

insist means to demand something firmly or refuse to change your opinion.

insist :

to demand, to hold firmly

verb

▪ She insisted on paying for dinner.

▪ She demanded to pay for dinner.

▪ He insisted that he was right.

▪ He held firmly that he was right.

paraphrasing

▪ demand – to request firmly

▪ persist – to continue firmly

▪ press – to urge forcefully

▪ maintain – to assert firmly

insist

Pronunciation

insist [ɪnˈsɪst]

The stress is on the second syllable 'sist' and sounds like 'in-sist'.

Common phrases and grammar about insist

insist - Common meaning

verb
to demand, to hold firmly

Part of Speech Changes for "insist"

▪ insistence (noun) – a firm demand or assertion

▪ insistent (adjective) – demanding or persistent

Common Expressions with "insist"

▪ insist on – to demand something

▪ insist that – to assert something strongly

▪ insist upon – to demand formally

▪ insist to – not commonly used, but can mean to urge to someone

Important examples of insist in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC word questions, insist is often used to express strong demands or firm opinions.

▪She insisted on attending the meeting despite the inconvenience.
▪She demanded to attend the meeting despite the inconvenience.

Example of a confusing word: persist (to continue steadfastly)

▪She persisted on attending the meeting despite the inconvenience.
▪She continued to attend the meeting despite the inconvenience.
"Insist" is used with the preposition "on" followed by a gerund (verb + -ing), meaning to firmly state or demand something. In "She insisted on attending," the structure is correct: "insist on + gerund." "Persist," however, means "to continue doing something despite difficulty," and it does not require "on" when followed by a gerund. The sentence "She persisted on attending" is grammatically awkward because "persist" is typically followed directly by the action or by "in" + gerund. Therefore, "insist" is the correct choice here.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC grammar questions, insist is used as a verb that often takes a clause or preposition after it.

▪They insisted that the report be completed by Friday.
▪They demanded the report be completed by Friday.

insist

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

insist on something

to firmly request something

▪She insisted on her right to speak.
▪She firmly requested her right to speak.

stand firm

means to maintain your position firmly

▪They stood firm in their decision despite opposition.
▪They maintained their decision despite opposition.

Differences between similar words and insist

insist

,

demand

differences

insist is used to strongly request or assert, while demand is often more forceful and urgent.

insist
▪She insisted on paying for dinner.
▪She demanded to pay for dinner.
demand
▪He demanded that he be given another chance.
▪He firmly requested another chance.

insist

,

urge – to try to persuade strongly

differences

insist is used to firmly request or assert, while urge is to try to persuade strongly but less forcefully.

insist
▪
▪They encouraged him to join the team.
urge – to try to persuade strongly
▪They urged him to join the team.
▪They encouraged him to join the team.

Words with the same origin as insist

The origin of insist

insist comes from the Latin 'insistere,' which means 'to stand upon' or 'to persist.'

Word structure

The word is composed of the prefix 'in-' (into, on) and the root 'sist' (to stand).

Words with the same origin

The root of insist is 'sist' (to stand). Words with the same root include resist (to stand against), persist (to continue firmly), consist (to be made up of), and assist (to help).

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