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inscribe

To inscribe means to write in a permanent way for example by carving. When someone tells you that they’re going to inscribe your name somewhere, be sure they get the spelling right because it’s going to be there a long time.

You can play with the grammar of inscribe a little to emphasize what you like. For instance, you can inscribe a stone with words or, to rephrase, you can inscribe words onto the stone. When an author autographs a book — and possibly writes a personal message there too — he or she inscribes it. In geometry, you inscribe a triangle within a circle when the triangle fits neatly inside the circle with its three points just touching the perimeter.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: inscribe

1
v
carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
2
v
register formally as a participant or member
3
v
mark with one's signature
4
v
draw within a figure so as to touch in as many places as possible
5
v
convert ordinary language into code
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: inscribe
1

v carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface

Synonyms:
engrave, grave, scratch
engrave, etch
carve or cut a design or letters into
Types:
character
engrave or inscribe characters on
Type of:
carve, chip at
engrave or cut by chipping away at a surface

v write, engrave, or print as a lasting record

Type of:
enter, put down, record
make a record of; set down in permanent form
2

v register formally as a participant or member

Synonyms:
enrol, enroll, enter, recruit
Types:
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draft, enlist, muster in
engage somebody to enter the army
unionise, unionize
recruit for a union or organize into a union
register
enroll to vote
matriculate
enroll as a student
levy, raise, recruit
cause to assemble or enlist in the military
Type of:
register
record in writing; enter into a book of names or events or transactions
3

v mark with one's signature

Synonyms:
autograph
Type of:
sign
be engaged by a written agreement

v address, (a work of literature) in a style less formal than a dedication

Type of:
dedicate
inscribe or address by way of compliment
4

v draw within a figure so as to touch in as many places as possible

Type of:
delineate, describe, draw, line, trace
make a mark or lines on a surface
5

v convert ordinary language into code

Synonyms:
cipher, code, cypher, encipher, encrypt, write in code
Type of:
encode
convert information into code
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USAGE EXAMPLES