Word Study
insist
CIDE DICTIONARY
insist, v. i. [F. insister, L. insistere to set foot upon, follow, persist; pref. in- in + sistere to stand, cause to stand. See Stand.].
- To stand or rest; to find support; -- with in, on, or upon. Ray. [1913 Webster]
- To take a stand and refuse to give way; to hold to something firmly or determinedly; to be persistent, urgent, or pressing; to persist in demanding; -- followed by on, upon, or that; as, he insisted on these conditions; he insisted on going at once; he insists that he must have money. [1913 Webster]"Insisting on the old prerogative." [1913 Webster]"Without further insisting on the different tempers of Juvenal and Horace."
OXFORD DICTIONARY
insist, v.tr. (usu. foll. by that + clause; also absol.) maintain or demand positively and assertively (insisted that he was innocent; give me the bag! I insist!).
Idiom
insist on demand or maintain (I insist on being present; insists on his suitability).
Derivative
insister n. insistingly adv.
Etymology
L insistere stand on, persist (as IN-(2), sistere stand)
THESAURUS
insist
advocate, affirm, allege, announce, annunciate, argue, assert, assever, asseverate, aver, avouch, avow, blandish, brook no denial, cajole, call for, call on, call upon, coax, command, contend, declare, demand, dwell on, emphasize, enunciate, exhort, expostulate, express, force upon, have, high-pressure, hold, importune, insist on, insist upon, issue a manifesto, jawbone, lay down, lobby, maintain, manifesto, nag, persist, plead with, ply, ply upon, predicate, press, press upon, pressure, proclaim, profess, pronounce, protest, push, push upon, put, put it, recommend, remonstrate, require, say, set down, soft-soap, speak, speak out, speak up, stand for, stand on, state, stick to, stress, submit, sweet-talk, take no denial, thrust upon, urge, urge upon, vow, wheedle, work onROGET THESAURUS
insist
Reasoning,
VB reason, argue, discuss, debate, dispute, wrangle, argufy, bandy words, bandy arguments, chop logic, hold an argument, carry on an argument, controvert, canvass, comment upon, moralize upon, spiritualize, consider, open a discussion, open a case, try conclusions, join issue, be at issue, moot, come to the point, stir a question, agitate a question, ventilate a question, torture a question, take up a side, take up a case, contend, take one's stand upon, insist, lay stress on, infer, follow from.For further exploring for "insist" in Webster Dictionary Online