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
Cheri Mossburg, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
A lot of ink has been spilled about Jobs, but for this CEO, Garcia was just as influential.
—Brian Halligan, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025
Alex Sherman,contessa Brewer, CNBC, 27 Nov. 2025
Some of that growth has been fueled by partnerships such as the one OCA inked with textile manufacturer and knitwear exporter Kay & Emms Global, which has worked to promote organic cotton production in Pakistan through an initiative with Pakistan’s Rural Business Development Center.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ink
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
In an airy modern studio north of downtown Los Angeles, the buzzing began and the ink flowed.
—Cheri Mossburg, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
A lot of ink has been spilled about Jobs, but for this CEO, Garcia was just as influential.
—Brian Halligan, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025
Verb
Netflix just inked a deal with MLB giving it the Home Run Derby and an Opening Night game in 2026, 2027 and 2028.
—Alex Sherman,contessa Brewer, CNBC, 27 Nov. 2025
Some of that growth has been fueled by partnerships such as the one OCA inked with textile manufacturer and knitwear exporter Kay & Emms Global, which has worked to promote organic cotton production in Pakistan through an initiative with Pakistan’s Rural Business Development Center.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ink
Cite this Entry
“Ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ink. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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
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