often attributive
1
: a colored usually liquid material for writing and printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod
3
slang
: publicity sense 2d
4
informal
: one or more tattoos on a person's body
Whether or not it's your cup of meat, the proliferation of body-art mags suggests that a slew of folks have ink, and they didn't get it from reading the newspaper.—
Albert Mobilio
Albert Mobilio
inked; inking; inks
1
a
: to put ink on
ink a pen
ink a printing block
b
: to draw or write in ink
ink a design
—often used with incarefully inked in the letters
c
: to obliterate with ink
—usually used with out
inked out many lines
2
US, informal
a
: to affix one's signature to : sign sense 2a
an athlete who has inked a new contract
b
: to engage or hire by securing the signature of (someone) on a contract : sign sense 4
… has been inked to do the part of a judge in an HBO special …—Marge Crumbaker
Marge Crumbaker3
informal
: tattoo
… got himself an elaborate tattoo, his first, inked along his right shoulder …—S. L. Price
S. L. PriceKaufman plans on inking a tat to memorialize his accident.—Micah Abrams
Micah AbramsHis heavily muscled arms are inked shoulder to wrist.—Eve Conant
Eve ConantExamples of ink in a Sentence
Noun
Fill out the form using blue or black ink.
The printer is out of ink.
We're using four different inks for this poster.
Verb
They just inked a new partnership agreement.
the basketball star just inked a two-year contract with the most celebrated franchise in the NBA
Recent Examples on the Web
Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
For Carpet and Upholstery Gone are the days of having to call a professional or renting a machine to remove ink or lipstick stains from your carpet.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Almost all of Iger’s direct reports have inked new deals to remain with the company, ensuring stability for years to come.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ink
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Their job is to create living, three-dimensional people out of the ordinary stuff of ink and paper.
—Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
For Carpet and Upholstery Gone are the days of having to call a professional or renting a machine to remove ink or lipstick stains from your carpet.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
Jackson White’s Tell Me Lies costar and girlfriend, Grace Van Patten, inked her way into his heart.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Almost all of Iger’s direct reports have inked new deals to remain with the company, ensuring stability for years to come.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ink
Cite this Entry
“Ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ink. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ink
1 of 2 noun1
: a usually liquid material for writing or printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod
ink
2 of 2 verb1
: to put ink on
2
: to write or draw in ink
inker
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
