annotate

verb

an·​no·​tate ˈa-nə-ˌtāt 

annotated; annotating

intransitive verb

: to make or furnish critical or explanatory notes or comment

transitive verb

: to make or furnish annotations (see annotation sense 1) for (something, such as a literary work or subject)

annotated his translation of Dante's Divine Comedy

annotative

ˈa-nə-ˌtā-tiv 

adjective

annotator

ˈa-nə-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Examples of annotate in a Sentence

He annotated the text at several places.

Recent Examples on the Web

Its specialized hardware-level matte finish diffuses ambient reflections and drastically filters blue light, delivering a true paper-like texture for reading e-books and annotating documents without visual fatigue. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026

My team has had projects with perfectly annotated and stabilized data that was so limited that their model couldn’t perform accurately at scale. — Klaudia Zaika, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

The two identical charts annotate the setup in different ways. — Carter Braxton Worth, CNBC, 26 June 2026

The set includes 25 hours of interviews, documentaries, and behind-the-scenes materials; deluxe packaging with rare photographs and new illustrations, plus artwork and documents annotated by Kubrick himself. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 22 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin annotatus, past participle of annotare, from ad- + notare to mark — more at note

First Known Use

1693, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for annotate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

annotate

verb

an·​no·​tate ˈan-ə-ˌtāt 

annotated; annotating

: to make or add explanatory notes

annotator

-ˌtāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

annotate

verb

an·​no·​tate ˈa-nə-ˌtāt 

annotated; annotating

intransitive verb

: to make or write an annotation

transitive verb

: to make or write annotations for

annotator

-ˌtā-tər 

noun