ink

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
: a colored usually liquid material for writing and printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod
3
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
inkiness noun
inky adjective

ink

2 of 2

verb

inked; inking; inks

transitive verb

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 in
carefully 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
3
informal : tattoo
… got himself an elaborate tattoo, his first, inked along his right shoulder …S. L. Price
Kaufman plans on inking a tat to memorialize his accident.Micah Abrams
His heavily muscled arms are inked shoulder to wrist.Eve Conant

Examples 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
Noun
This writer is of the firm belief that our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024 Although the style may at first appear traditional, this garden was designed in the 1960s by Mirei Shigemori, a landscape architect whose training was in the Japanese cultural arts: conducting the tea ceremony, flower arranging, and landscape ink and wash painting. Paula Deitz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024 Her drawings have the power and presence of oil paintings but are made from charcoal or India ink. Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2024 An ocean of ink is currently being spilled about Watt’s powers of galvanization—but rest assured, the hype is warranted. Morgan Enos, SPIN, 19 Apr. 2024 Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta star Sierra Gates got some new ink, sitting for a robust tattoo that runs from her stomach to her calf. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 16 Apr. 2024 Kids will love doodling and practicing their numbers and letters then watching the ink magically disappear. Laura Lu, Parents, 15 Apr. 2024 One entertainment titan ended up eking out a small profit for its streaming unit, while two others narrowed their losses in their divisions with their core streaming businesses, with one of those promising to start turning black ink this year. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024 The use of ink bottles rather than ink cartridges lowers running costs over the long term as well. David Nield / Gizmodo, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
Peter Shapiro has added another room to his ever-expanding portfolio of classic venues, inking a long-term lease to manage and program the historic Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, NY. Dave Brooks, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024 In January, the company inked a 10-year, $5 billion deal with Netflix for Raw, and added Dwayne Johnson to its board of directors. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024 Apple has been on a real sci-fi tear lately, having recently inked deals for new seasons of both Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and For All Mankind. Brandon Widder, The Verge, 23 Apr. 2024 Cooper was inked with another dinosaur, which Wyatt pointed to in the picture. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024 Rodney Hill inked with the Seminoles prior to the 2022 season and rushed 77 times for 334 yards and 2 touchdown in two seasons in Tallahassee. Richard Davenport, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024 Most are in the shape of crosses and parallel black lines and inked across his lower back, lower legs and left wrist. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024 Ben Sherwood and Joanna Coles inked a deal to lead IAC’s The Daily Beast, under which the media veterans have been granted a minority stake in the news and opinion site. Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024 She’s inked branding deals over the years with companies including Google . Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English enke, from Anglo-French encre, enke, from Late Latin encaustum, from neuter of Latin encaustus burned in, from Greek enkaustos, verbal of enkaiein to burn in — more at encaustic

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ink was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near ink

Cite this Entry

“Ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ink. Accessed 1 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

ink

1 of 2 noun
1
: a usually liquid material for writing or printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod

ink

2 of 2 verb
1
: to put ink on
2
: to write or draw in ink
inker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ink

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