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 ConantExamples 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 Web
Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 5 May 2026
This unique board lets even the most stressed mother unwind by creating beautiful works of art without paint or ink.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
But rather than inking a multi-year super max deal, the route many of her contemporaries took, Collier signed only a one-year contract with Minnesota.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ink
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Its new 7-inch Paperwhite display is a speed demon, offering 25% faster page turns and a higher contrast ratio that mimics real ink on paper.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 5 May 2026
This unique board lets even the most stressed mother unwind by creating beautiful works of art without paint or ink.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Verb
The performance was so dominant that Julie Vanloo, who inked a hardship contract and arrived in New York shortly after midnight, was on triple-double watch by halftime hours after meeting her new teammates.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
But rather than inking a multi-year super max deal, the route many of her contemporaries took, Collier signed only a one-year contract with Minnesota.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ink
Cite this Entry
“Ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ink. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
