incised; incising
1
a
: to carve (something, such as an inscription) into a surface
b
: to carve figures, letters, or devices into : engrave
2
: to cut into
Examples of incise in a Sentence
The design is incised into the clay.
The clay is incised to create a design.
Recent Examples on the Web
The leaves are simple, though sometimes deeply incised.
—
Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 28 Aug. 2023
The Colorado River, whose wild energy incised the canyon over millions of years, is in crisis.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 6 June 2023
That Bovary is urged on to exceed the ambit of his modest competence by his vain and snobbish wife, Emma—in cahoots with the publicity-seeking pharmacist—adds a layer of situational irony to what constitutes, prima facie, an abuse: Charles incised the skin.
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
The markings were deeply incised into dolomite rock in locations close to the burials in the Dinaledi Chamber and Hill Antechamber.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 5 June 2023
There is a plication procedure and there are procedures to incise the plaque out.
—Jeff Forward, Chron, 23 Nov. 2020
Of all the successes among heritage brands, few have exceeded that of the traditional boat shoe with white soles incised in a pattern of chevron grooves.
—New York Times, 5 Feb. 2020
It was incised on eleven tablets, back and front, with roughly three hundred lines on each tablet.
—Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2019
Yet humans continue to intrude, as illustrated by Michael Marks’s print of mountaintop-removal mining and Laura Ahola-Young’s drawing, incised into a sea-and-sky scene, of undersea oil-drilling gear.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2019
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Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 28 Aug. 2023
The Colorado River, whose wild energy incised the canyon over millions of years, is in crisis.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 6 June 2023
That Bovary is urged on to exceed the ambit of his modest competence by his vain and snobbish wife, Emma—in cahoots with the publicity-seeking pharmacist—adds a layer of situational irony to what constitutes, prima facie, an abuse: Charles incised the skin.
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
The markings were deeply incised into dolomite rock in locations close to the burials in the Dinaledi Chamber and Hill Antechamber.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 5 June 2023
There is a plication procedure and there are procedures to incise the plaque out.
—Jeff Forward, Chron, 23 Nov. 2020
Of all the successes among heritage brands, few have exceeded that of the traditional boat shoe with white soles incised in a pattern of chevron grooves.
—New York Times, 5 Feb. 2020
It was incised on eleven tablets, back and front, with roughly three hundred lines on each tablet.
—Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2019
Yet humans continue to intrude, as illustrated by Michael Marks’s print of mountaintop-removal mining and Laura Ahola-Young’s drawing, incised into a sea-and-sky scene, of undersea oil-drilling gear.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2019
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle French or Latin; Middle French inciser, from Latin incisus, past participle of incidere, from in- + caedere to cut
First Known Use
1567, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Dictionary Entries Near incise
Cite this Entry
“Incise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incise. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
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