etch

\ ˈech

How to pronounce etch (audio)

\

etched; etching; etches

Definition of etch

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to produce (something, such as a pattern or design) on a hard material by eating into the material's surface (as by acid or laser beam)

b : to subject to such etching

2 : to delineate or impress clearly scenes etched in our minds pain was etched on his features

intransitive verb

: to practice etching

etch

Definition of etch (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the action or effect of etching a surface

2 : a chemical agent used in etching

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Examples of etch in a Sentence

Verb etched an identification number on the back of the television glass that has been etched with an identification number

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The moments in which Kerry Ehrin, The Morning Show’s showrunner, and Mimi Leder, its director and executive producer, etch out Mitch’s stages of delusion are riveting to watch. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "What Makes The Morning Show Worth Watching," 1 Nov. 2019 Today, branching river networks still lure would-be explainers, many of whom hope to glimpse some underlying mathematical code responsible for etching out these common patterns. — Quanta Magazine, "A Universal Law for the ‘Blood of the Earth’," 28 Nov. 2018 September 1, 2019, is now a day etched into the marble of Bahamian history and Bahamian memory. — Ferguson Bernard, The New Yorker, "Hurricane Dorian Was a Climate Injustice," 12 Sep. 2019 Flexibility of use was sacrificed, too: to keep things as cheap and simple as possible the algorithm is etched directly into the plastic, meaning the chips are not reprogrammable. — The Economist, "How to build a disposable microchip," 12 Sep. 2019 Petroglyph Beach acquired its name from the panels of ancient rock art etched into a nearby cliff face. — Roger Naylor, azcentral, "Now you can kayak Arizona's famous Horseshoe Bend. Here's how.," 5 Sep. 2019 No silverware was added to the cabinet, though painful memories were etched into the minds of supporters and players alike; the latter must ensure those ghosts are laid to rest. — SI.com, "Real Madrid: The XI That Should Start Against Real Valladolid," 22 Aug. 2019 Yes, that’s a lion’s face, the restaurant’s logo, etched into the block of ice chilling your cocktail. — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, "At Punjab Grill, there are plenty of gilty pleasures," 21 Aug. 2019 But her best advice was to go to the cemetery and look for gravestones with the name Costanza etched into them. — Steve Lopezcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Steve Lopez goes to Italy and searches for his Sicilian roots," 17 July 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun From the clearing where we’d laid out our tents and camp pads, the opposite bank of the river was barely perceptible except for a faint Etch-a-Sketch panorama of sandstone buttes and towers. — Jim Buchta, chicagotribune.com, "Call of the Colorado River leads to a family pilgrimage," 11 Aug. 2017

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

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Last Updated

17 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for etch

The first known use of etch was in 1634

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