inscribe
verb
in·scribe in-ˈskrīb 
inscribed; inscribing; inscribes
transitive verb
1
a
: to write, engrave, or print as a lasting record
b
: to enter on a list : enroll
2
a
: to write, engrave, or print characters upon
b
: to autograph or address (a book) as a gift
3
: to dedicate to someone
4
: to draw within a figure so as to touch in as many places as possible
a regular polygon inscribed in a circle
5
British : to register the name of the holder of (a security)
inscriber noun
Synonyms
- engrave
- etch
- grave
- incise
- insculp [archaic]
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
They inscribed the monument with the soldiers' names. The book was inscribed with the author's signature.
Recent Examples on the Web Rabbi Nathan served as the agent to inscribe many letters in the Torah on behalf of local families. 
Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2022 Between those dates, the 299 men and women of India’s Constituent Assembly worked to imagine their emerging country and to inscribe their vision and foundational legal principles in a national constitution. Deepa Das Acevedo, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2022 Izzy asked her mom to find an hourglass that could be used to keep time in board games, and to fill it with Noe’s ashes and inscribe a tiny plaque with his name. Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 13 July 2022 In Tanzania, as recorded by the German social anthropologist Hanna Nieber, healers inscribe verses from the Quran in saffron-hued ink on a plate, then rinse it and give the water, now rich with the holy word, to their patients as medicine. New York Times, 11 May 2022 At the head of this institution in 2002, Alarcón led efforts to inscribe the permanence of the socialist system in the Constitution, in defiance of growing demands for democratic reforms from opponents and some governments. Andrea Rodriguez, ajc, 1 May 2022 To inscribe the shards, users dipped a reed or hollow stick in ink. Jane Recker, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2022 Moore carried a Sharpie with him so that well-wishers could inscribe messages in the canoe’s interior. Ben Mcgrath, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2021 Humans bedeck their most permanent structures to inscribe them with their articles of faith, their relationship with nature, the nuances of social structure. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 24 Nov. 2021 See More
Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2022 Between those dates, the 299 men and women of India’s Constituent Assembly worked to imagine their emerging country and to inscribe their vision and foundational legal principles in a national constitution. Deepa Das Acevedo, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2022 Izzy asked her mom to find an hourglass that could be used to keep time in board games, and to fill it with Noe’s ashes and inscribe a tiny plaque with his name. Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 13 July 2022 In Tanzania, as recorded by the German social anthropologist Hanna Nieber, healers inscribe verses from the Quran in saffron-hued ink on a plate, then rinse it and give the water, now rich with the holy word, to their patients as medicine. New York Times, 11 May 2022 At the head of this institution in 2002, Alarcón led efforts to inscribe the permanence of the socialist system in the Constitution, in defiance of growing demands for democratic reforms from opponents and some governments. Andrea Rodriguez, ajc, 1 May 2022 To inscribe the shards, users dipped a reed or hollow stick in ink. Jane Recker, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2022 Moore carried a Sharpie with him so that well-wishers could inscribe messages in the canoe’s interior. Ben Mcgrath, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2021 Humans bedeck their most permanent structures to inscribe them with their articles of faith, their relationship with nature, the nuances of social structure. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 24 Nov. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin inscribere, from in- + scribere to write — more at scribe
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
inscribe
verb
in·scribe in-ˈskrīb
inscribed; inscribing
1
: to write, engrave, or print as a lasting record
His name is inscribed on the monument.
2
: to write, engrave, or print something on or in
inscribe a book
Legal Definition
inscribe
transitive verb
in·scribe
inscribed; inscribing
: to set down in writing (as the terms of a mortgage) to create a lasting public record
inscribe
verb
1
as in to etch
to cut (as letters or designs) on a hard surface paid a jeweler to inscribe their names and wedding date on their wedding rings Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- etch
- engrave
- carve
- grave
- trace
- sculpt
- incise
- affix
- insculp
- sculpture
- chisel
- indent
- notch
- groove
- chase
- impress
- score
2
as in to enroll
to add (a person) to a list or roll as a participant or member inscribed the couple in the society of sustaining donors to the museum Synonyms & Similar Words
- enroll
- enrol
- list
- enlist
- register
- matriculate
- induct
- impanel
- book
- conscript
- muster
- draft
- schedule
- check in
- wait-list
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reject
- exclude
- expunge
- expel
- omit
- delist
- overlook
- check off
3
as in to enter
to put (someone or something) on a list inscribed his name on the list of those to be executed Synonyms & Similar Words
- enter
- record
- list
- register
- enroll
- slate
- enrol
- index
- schedule
- book
- file
- catalog
- classify
- tabulate
- compile
- catalogue
- note
- card
- put down
- tally
- reschedule
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- delete