ascribe

verb

as·​cribe ə-ˈskrīb 

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

ə-ˈskrī-bə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• attribute

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of ascribe in a Sentence

ascribed their stunning military victory to good intelligence beforehand

Recent Examples on the Web

Based on those intense interactions, the temptation to ascribe God-like powers to the AI is going to be huge. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

Another trait often ascribed to footballers is courage — the kind that enables them to put their head into a frenzy of flying boots, or take a decisive penalty when thousands are willing them to fail. —Andy Jones, New York Times, 6 July 2025

For a generation of music-and-fashion obsessives, Williams, 52, is revered as the original hip-hop eccentric: highly expressive, unapologetically audacious, unafraid to flout menswear conventions, especially the hypermasculine tropes ascribed to rap music. —Chioma Nnadi, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025

The nation’s 2014 coup d’etat was commonly ascribed to a desire by the nation’s elites to micromanage the transition to King Vajiralongkorn. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ascribe

• ascribe (something) to

Rhymes for ascribe

• describe
• imbibe
• inscribe
• prescribe
• proscribe
• subscribe
• transcribe
• bribe
• gibe
• jibe
• tribe
• vibe

Kids Definition

ascribe

verb

as·​cribe ə-ˈskrīb 

ascribed; ascribing

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

a statement ascribed to Plato

ascribable

-ˈskrī-bə-bəl 

adjective