participates

Participates is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb participate. Participate means to take part in an activity, event, or process, or to have involvement in a group or project. When used with he, she, or it, the form participates is appropriate: for example, "She participates in weekly meetings and contributes to the discussion."

Etymology and usage notes: The word derives from French participer, via Latin participare, from participus meaning "sharing in" or "partaking." In standard English, participate is typically followed by in to indicate involvement in a specific activity (participate in a program, participate in a survey). It can describe voluntary engagement or formal involvement and appears in educational, corporate, political, and social contexts. The noun form is participation, while a person who takes part is a participant; the adjective form is participatory.

Examples: "The committee participates in the decision-making process." "The athlete participates in the regional championship." "Residents participate in the town meeting." The form participates is used with singular third-person subjects, while other forms include participate (base), participates, participating (present participle), and participated (past tense).

See also: Participation, Participant, Participatory.