conscript

1 of 3

noun

con·​script ˈkän-ˌskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
: a conscripted person (such as a military recruit)

conscript

2 of 3

adjective

con·​script ˈkän-ˌskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
1
: enrolled into service by compulsion : drafted
2
: made up of conscripted persons

conscript

3 of 3

verb

con·​script kən-ˈskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
conscripted; conscripting; conscripts

transitive verb

: to enroll into service by compulsion : draft
was conscripted into the army

Examples of conscript in a Sentence

Noun as the war continued, the body of enlisted soldiers was supplemented by an increasing number of conscripts Verb The government is conscripting men for the army. He was conscripted into the army.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
The 1986 film also included accounts by former conscripts who had been forced to participate in the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, making clear the hopelessness and brutality of the war, starkly contrasting with the Kremlin’s version of a war of progress and purpose. Will Tizard, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025 But such streaks of humor and tenderness inevitably give way to the next atrocity, as Hothead conscripts Chicken into her mission to dispatch men. Jo Livingstone, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Taipei’s conscript system, like South Korea’s, is under pressure, with social contract cracks and skills matrices not always matching operational need. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025 Russia has reserves of conscript soldiers it is prohibited by its policies from deploying into Ukraine, but could on Russian soil. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Aug. 2024
Verb
Advertisement On any one of those issues alone, Mamdani’s campaign could have been in a free fall if not conscripted to a quick and public immolation. Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Nov. 2025 For the Chapter 02 womenswear and menswear ranges, the brand conscripted Dutch-Indonesian artist Miko Veldkamp. Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conscript

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of French conscrit, from Latin conscriptus, past participle of conscribere to enroll, enlist, from com- + scribere to write — more at scribe

First Known Use

Noun

1799, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1804, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conscript was in 1799

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conscript.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscript. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

conscript

1 of 3 adjective
con·​script ˈkän-ˌskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
1
: enrolled into service by force
2
: made up of conscripted persons

conscript

2 of 3 verb
con·​script kən-ˈskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
: to enroll into service by force : draft
was conscripted into the army
conscription
kən-ˈskrip-shən
noun

conscript

3 of 3 noun
con·​script ˈkän-ˌskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
: a conscripted person (as a military recruit)

More from Merriam-Webster on conscript

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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