print

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: a mark made by pressure : impression
b
: something impressed with a print or formed in a mold
2
a
: printed state or form
b
: the printing industry
3
b
prints plural : printed publications
4
: printed letters : type
5
a(1)
: a copy made by printing
(2)
: a reproduction of an original work of art (such as a painting) made by a photomechanical process
(3)
: an original work of art (such as a woodcut, etching, or lithograph) intended for graphic reproduction and produced by or under the supervision of the artist who designed it
b
: cloth with a pattern or figured design applied by printing
also : an article of such cloth
c
: a photographic or motion-picture copy
especially : one made from a negative

print

2 of 3

verb

printed; printing; prints

transitive verb

1
a
: to impress something in or on
b
: to stamp (something, such as a mark) in or on something
2
a
: to make a copy of by impressing paper against an inked printing surface
b(1)
: to impress (something, such as wallpaper) with a design or pattern
(2)
: to impress (a pattern or design) on something
c
: to publish in print
d
: print out
also : to display on a surface (such as a computer screen) for viewing
3
: to write in letters shaped like those of ordinary roman text type
4
: to make (a positive picture) on a sensitized photographic surface from a negative or a positive

intransitive verb

1
a
: to work as a printer
b
: to produce printed matter
2
: to produce something in printed form
3
: to write or hand-letter in imitation of unjoined printed characters

print

3 of 3

adjective

: of, relating to, or writing for printed publications
print journalists
Phrases
in print
: procurable from the publisher
out of print
: not procurable from the publisher

Examples of print in a Sentence

Noun What is the print size of your book? an exhibit of 16th-century German prints Verb We printed 50 invitations before we ran out of ink. The new machine prints 30 pages per minute. Your tickets are being printed now. a slogan printed on a bumper sticker Your tickets are printing now. This printer allows you to print on both sides of a sheet of paper. They printed 10,000 copies of the book's new edition. I'm surprised they printed that cartoon in the paper. Her picture was printed in a magazine last month.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But companies like the Times had not yet bothered to translate that function effectively from print to web (or app), so others had taken it from them—and made billions of dollars. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024 The Easter collection is filled with bright colors, rabbits, floral prints, and of course, the brand’s signature checkered print. Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 The report collates data from television, digital media, film, animation and VFX, out of home media, live events, music, radio, online gaming and print. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Sports editors and journalists throughout the country voted on top-10 placements in various writing, website, print newspaper and photography categories, which were split into four divisions based on newspaper circulation or digital readership size. Staff Report, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024 Pro tip: Bring a newspaper (yes, a print version!), just in case everyone else is buried in their phones. Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024 Yet these comics went largely out of print in the 2000s as once-niche superheroes became billion-dollar movie stars. John Towfighi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 The dress is available in a light wash and a medium wash with a botanical print. Bridget Degnan, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2024 Some experts say anger about the control of Amazon over the book industry — Amazon controls more than half of print book market — is driving some people to shop at local bookstores. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
Then an agent will print their bag tags and take their luggage. Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2024 Each one has unique holes and a number printed on the bottom. Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024 The cards themselves are printed on thick, heavy-duty card-stock, with foil accents that shimmer when the cards are flipped. Tim Chan, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 His lies have paperwork; someone is always printing something out. Amanda Hess, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The idea that live service is going to print money endlessly and help pay for these other games does not make much sense. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Icon also supplies software that directs the process of printing architectural designs. Jim Morrison, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 However, an album’s mastering is typically the final step in the recording process before it’s pressed, printed, and distributed. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2024 In classic Nolan fashion, the screenplay is printed on red paper and written in black ink so it can’t be photocopied. Zack Sharf, Variety, 20 Feb. 2024
Adjective
In new research reported in a Feb. 1 paper published on the arXiv pre-print server, the team used data from NASA's inoperative Kepler spacecraft, its secondary mission K2 and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to identify K2-415b. Julia Musto, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2023 Working in the metaverse for an extended period of time can lead to higher anxiety, a perception of higher workloads, and even adverse physical effects for some employees, tech outlet New Scientist reported, citing a recent study published on pre-print database arXiv on June 8. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 21 June 2022 Experts got partial answers from a pre-print publication posted online in August by a separate research team. Riley Black, Discover Magazine, 11 Dec. 2020 Many who are hospitalized could become long haulers, study suggests About three-quarters of people hospitalized could become long haulers, according to a paper uploaded to the pre-print server medRxiv on August 14 without having yet been vetted by outside experts or accepted for publication. Steve Almasy, CNN, 6 Oct. 2020 The results were published online on arXiv, the pre-print server. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 17 Feb. 2023 In March, researchers at the UK's Office of National Statistics posted a study on a pre-print server that was extremely similar. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 11 Oct. 2022 This revelation comes from a study posted to the pre-print server bioRxiv earlier this month. Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 22 Nov. 2021 The most common are neurological, such as brain-fog and headache, according to a pre-print study by King's College London. Luke Taylor, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'print.' 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 prente, from Anglo-French, from preint, prient, past participle of priendre to press, from Latin premere — more at press

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of print was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near print

Cite this Entry

“Print.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/print. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

print

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a mark made by pressure
b
: something that has been stamped with an impression or formed in a mold
a print of butter
2
a
: printed state or form
put a manuscript into print
b
: printed matter
c
: printed letters
3
: a picture, copy, or design made by printing (as from an engraving or a photographic negative)
4
a
: cloth with a printed pattern
b
: an article of such cloth

print

2 of 2 verb
1
: to put or stamp something in or on
2
a
: to make a copy of by pressing paper against an inked surface (as type or an engraving)
b
: to stamp with a design by pressure
print wallpaper
c
: to publish in printed form
print a newspaper
d
: to write or cause to be written on a surface (as a computer display screen) for viewing
the computer will print the message at the top of the screen
e
3
: to write in separate letters like those made by a typewriter
4
: to make a picture from a photographic negative

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