ascribe

verb as·cribe \ ə-ˈskrīb \

Definition of ascribe

ascribed; ascribing

transitive verb

:to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author :to say or think that (something) is caused by, comes from, or is associated with a particular person or thing

These poems are usually ascribed to Homer.

They ascribe most of their success to good timing and good luck.

She ascribes no importance to having a lot of money.

—

ascribable

play \-ˈskrī-bə-bəl\ adjective

See ascribe defined for English-language learners

See ascribe defined for kids

Examples of ascribe in a Sentence

ascribed their stunning military victory to good intelligence beforehand

Recent Examples of ascribe from the Web

Pseudosciences such as phrenology and eugenics have attempted to ascribe a biological rationalization for the oppression of certain groups.

— harry bruinius, The Christian Science Monitor, "Meritocracy and the history of the science of biological differences," 26 Aug. 2017
Some of this has been ascribed to Bannon’s influence, keeping Trump focused on delivering for that base.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "Why Trump may be the White House staffer least at risk from an angry Bannon," 18 Aug. 2017
One of the more comforting things about talking to Strickler about paranormal phenomena is his matter-of-factness in recounting what happened, and, more importantly, his reluctance to ascribe any particular meaning to these phenomena.

— aimee levitt, Chicago Reader, "News / Paranormal There's been a record number of flying humanoid sightings over Chicago this year," 9 Aug. 2017
A musician started playing the kora to a backing track that included notes on the circularity of existence ascribed to a Sioux shaman named Black Elk.

— luke leitch, Vogue, "Jahnkoy’s Transcultural Ethnic Athleisure Brings the Noise at Bergdorf Goodman," 13 July 2017
But the salaries ascribe a certain value to the actors within the industry, especially in an era when the business side of entertainment is much more visible.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "'Hawaii Five-0' wage dispute highlights Hollywood's race gap," 7 July 2017
But the salaries ascribe a certain value to the actors within the industry, especially in an era when the business side of entertainment is much more visible.

— the washington post, cleveland.com, "'Hawaii Five-0' cast departures highlight racial wage gap in TV," 6 July 2017
The U.N. has ascribed responsibility to Assad’s government for three previous attacks during Syria’s six-year civil war.

— lolita c. baldor, The Seattle Times, "Mattis says Syria’s government taking US threat seriously," 28 June 2017
Allen was accused of 12 non-fatal shootings between October 2011 and May 2013, in addition to the three murders ascribed to him by prosecutors.

— ken daley, NOLA.com, "Federal Young Melph Mafia racketeering trial ends with guilty verdicts," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ascribe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ascribe

Middle English, from Latin ascribere, from ad- + scribere to write — more at scribe

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First Known Use: 15th century

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ascribe Synonyms

Synonyms

accredit, credit, attribute, chalk up, impute, lay, put down

Related Words

blame, charge, father (on), impute (to), pin (on); assign, refer; associate, attach, connect, link

Synonym Discussion of ascribe

ascribe, attribute, assign, impute, credit mean to lay something to the account of a person or thing. ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

- forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe, less definiteness than assign.

- attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

- assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

- tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

- credited his teammates for his success

ASCRIBE Defined for Kids

ascribe

verb as·cribe \ ə-ˈskrīb \

Definition of ascribe for Students

ascribed; ascribing

:to think of as coming from a specified cause, source, or author

They ascribed his success to nothing more than good luck.

Learn More about ascribe

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ascribe Spanish Central: Translation of ascribe Nglish: Translation of ascribe for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ascribe for Arabic speakers

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