often attributive
1
: a colored usually liquid material for writing and printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod
3
slang
: publicity sense 2d
4
informal
: one or more tattoos on a person's body
Whether or not it's your cup of meat, the proliferation of body-art mags suggests that a slew of folks have ink, and they didn't get it from reading the newspaper.—
Albert Mobilio
Albert Mobilio
inked; inking; inks
1
a
: to put ink on
ink a pen
ink a printing block
b
: to draw or write in ink
ink a design
—often used with incarefully inked in the letters
c
: to obliterate with ink
—usually used with out
inked out many lines
2
US, informal
a
: to affix one's signature to : sign sense 2a
an athlete who has inked a new contract
b
: to engage or hire by securing the signature of (someone) on a contract : sign sense 4
… has been inked to do the part of a judge in an HBO special …—Marge Crumbaker
Marge Crumbaker3
informal
: tattoo
… got himself an elaborate tattoo, his first, inked along his right shoulder …—S. L. Price
S. L. PriceKaufman plans on inking a tat to memorialize his accident.—Micah Abrams
Micah AbramsHis heavily muscled arms are inked shoulder to wrist.—Eve Conant
Eve Conant
Synonyms
Examples of ink in a Sentence
Noun
Fill out the form using blue or black ink.
The printer is out of ink.
We're using four different inks for this poster.
Verb
They just inked a new partnership agreement.
the basketball star just inked a two-year contract with the most celebrated franchise in the NBA
Recent Examples on the WebKelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023
Also acceptable are glitters that are trapped inside inks, paints, pastes, and glues and other solid objects, and glitters that are completely contained, like the shimmering flakes that float inside snowglobes.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
Those who fail, by moving when they are supposed to be frozen, are eliminated faux-execution-style; tiny squibs explode under their shirts, spattering them with black ink.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
But liquid ink for textiles and packaging represents just 9 percent of the carbon black market.
—Alden Wicker, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2023
Everything that happened late Sunday and into Monday, isn’t technically signed in ink just yet.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023
Much ink has been spilled about the resemblance between iconic ‘90s supermodel Cindy Crawford and her daughter, Gen Z model, actor and influencer Kaia Gerber.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 16 Nov. 2023
The spoon is hand stamped and then filled with food safe, black ink.
—Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2023
The ink the governor signed the renaming bill in was purple — Prince’s signature color.
—Steve Leblanc, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023
Rahat Huq, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023
At the new facility, city officials and the Police Officers Association, which spearheaded the effort, held a ribbon-cutting last week, after inking a five-year lease last year.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
Though the deal was inked off-market, public records confirm that Halsey very quietly sold her big estate on the Los Angeles County outskirts over the summer.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2023
As part of a two-year deal inked at Cannes, Huelva and the Dominican Republic film entity DGCine is organizing a pitching event featuring four Dominican projects in development which are looking for Spanish co-production partners.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023
In short succession, superstar showrunners Shonda Rhimes, Kenya Barris, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and Ryan Murphy all inked nine-figure contracts with the streamer.
—Peter Biskind, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Nov. 2023
In a second photo from the same post, Holmes documented the inking process by showing the tattoo artist with her tools pressed firmly against his arm.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Xi sent a message lauding the conference, claiming that China has inked 284 sister-city agreements ...
—Jimmy Quinn, National Review, 13 Nov. 2023
In June, Netflix revealed that Sakamoto had inked a five-year partnership to develop a range of titles exclusively for the streamer, and In Love and Deep Water is the first such project from the deal.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2023
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Noun
Tax returns must be signed (fresh ink, if on paper) and include all documents submitted with the original return.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023
Also acceptable are glitters that are trapped inside inks, paints, pastes, and glues and other solid objects, and glitters that are completely contained, like the shimmering flakes that float inside snowglobes.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
Those who fail, by moving when they are supposed to be frozen, are eliminated faux-execution-style; tiny squibs explode under their shirts, spattering them with black ink.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
But liquid ink for textiles and packaging represents just 9 percent of the carbon black market.
—Alden Wicker, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2023
Everything that happened late Sunday and into Monday, isn’t technically signed in ink just yet.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023
Much ink has been spilled about the resemblance between iconic ‘90s supermodel Cindy Crawford and her daughter, Gen Z model, actor and influencer Kaia Gerber.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 16 Nov. 2023
The spoon is hand stamped and then filled with food safe, black ink.
—Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2023
The ink the governor signed the renaming bill in was purple — Prince’s signature color.
—Steve Leblanc, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023
Verb
Eyebrows were raised across the league when the Houston Rockets inked guard/forward Dillon Brooks to a massive four-year, $86 million contract this past offseason.
—Rahat Huq, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023
At the new facility, city officials and the Police Officers Association, which spearheaded the effort, held a ribbon-cutting last week, after inking a five-year lease last year.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
Though the deal was inked off-market, public records confirm that Halsey very quietly sold her big estate on the Los Angeles County outskirts over the summer.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2023
As part of a two-year deal inked at Cannes, Huelva and the Dominican Republic film entity DGCine is organizing a pitching event featuring four Dominican projects in development which are looking for Spanish co-production partners.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023
In short succession, superstar showrunners Shonda Rhimes, Kenya Barris, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and Ryan Murphy all inked nine-figure contracts with the streamer.
—Peter Biskind, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Nov. 2023
In a second photo from the same post, Holmes documented the inking process by showing the tattoo artist with her tools pressed firmly against his arm.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Xi sent a message lauding the conference, claiming that China has inked 284 sister-city agreements ...
—Jimmy Quinn, National Review, 13 Nov. 2023
In June, Netflix revealed that Sakamoto had inked a five-year partnership to develop a range of titles exclusively for the streamer, and In Love and Deep Water is the first such project from the deal.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ink.' 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
Noun
Middle English enke, from Anglo-French encre, enke, from Late Latin encaustum, from neuter of Latin encaustus burned in, from Greek enkaustos, verbal of enkaiein to burn in — more at encaustic
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of ink was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing ink
Dictionary Entries Near ink
Cite this Entry
“Ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ink. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
ink
1 of 2 noun1
: a usually liquid material for writing or printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod
ink
2 of 2 verb1
: to put ink on
2
: to write or draw in ink
inker
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on ink
Nglish: Translation of ink for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ink for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ink
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