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ascribe

verb as·cribe \ ə-ˈskrīb \
|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

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

  1. ascribed their stunning military victory to good intelligence beforehand

Recent Examples of ascribe from the Web

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

ascribe Synonyms

Synonyms

accredit, attribute, chalk up, credit, 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

Phrases Related to ASCRIBE

Related Phrases

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

  1. 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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