transcribe

verb

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tran·scribe | \ tran(t)-ˈskrīb

transcribed; transcribing

Definition of transcribe

transitive verb

1a : to make a written copy of

b : to make a copy of (dictated or recorded matter) in longhand or on a machine (such as a typewriter)

c : to paraphrase or summarize in writing

d : write down, record

2a : to represent (speech sounds) by means of phonetic symbols

b : translate sense 1a

c : to transfer (data) from one recording form to another

d : to record (as on magnetic tape) for later broadcast

3 : to make a musical transcription of

4 : to cause (DNA or RNA) to undergo genetic transcription

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Examples of transcribe in a Sentence

He transcribed all of his great-grandfather's letters. The senator's speech was transcribed. a Mozart string quartet transcribed for piano a system that allows linguists to transcribe the sounds of any language

Recent Examples on the Web The main body of the story is the deputy’s account of the night in question, tape-recorded so that his secretary can transcribe it. — Justin Taylor, Harper's Magazine, "Every True Pleasure Is a Secret," 16 Mar. 2021 Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine candidates require rare ingredients that are in short supply, such as the lipids used to encase the mRNA and the enzymes used to transcribe it. — Sue Halpern, The New Yorker, "Why COVID-19 Vaccines Aren’t Yet Available to Everyone," 13 Mar. 2021 Other participants: Will include a judge's clerk, and a court reporter who will transcribe the proceedings. — Mark Boswell, Star Tribune, "See inside the courtroom where Derek Chauvin is being tried," 9 Mar. 2021 Now, reports Ellen Gutoskey for Mental Floss, the Library of Congress is seeking the public’s help to transcribe tens of thousands of letters addressed to Roosevelt. — Livia Gershon, Smithsonian Magazine, "Library of Congress Seeks Volunteers to Transcribe Letters to Theodore Roosevelt," 4 Dec. 2020 This allows the speaker to transcribe meetings, allowing participants to reread what was said in the room and figure out who said what. — Jacob Siegal, BGR, "Microsoft’s smart speakers can do something Amazon’s Echo can’t," 2 Mar. 2021 When Lincoln ran against Stephen Douglas for U.S. senator in 1858, Medill sent a stenographer to transcribe his debates with Douglas, the incumbent. — Ron Grossman, chicagotribune.com, "Flashback: A crisis of conscience over slavery gave birth to a formidable political force: The Republican Party," 26 Feb. 2021 Hendrickson sat opposite him at a computer, his hands hovering over the keyboard, ready to transcribe notes. — Elliot Ackerman, Wired, "2034, Part I: Peril in the South China Sea," 26 Jan. 2021 Volunteers are also needed to transcribe some of these women computers’ notebooks that contain references to photographic glass plates. — Rachael Lallensack, Smithsonian Magazine, "Seventy-Five Scientific Research Projects You Can Contribute to Online," 15 June 2020

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