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2
as in to slit
to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife)
incised the tree with a sharp ax to get the sap flowing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incise
To match its maritime origins, it was incised with designs of cavorting Tritons and surmounted with a silver Neptune riding a hippocampus—a lot of gaudy ornament around a big brown husk.
—
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 June 2025
The coroner ruled Carol’s cause of death as hypovolemia, which is when the plasma is too low from excessive bleeding; multiple stab and incised wounds from a sharp instrument; and a blunt force injury that fractured the skull, according to the coroner’s report.
—Stephanie Warsmith, USA Today, 8 June 2025
The comedian and political host incised the D.C. affair with one-liners aimed at those in attendance (from their fashion choices to their general decision to show up at all), X owner Elon Musk’s odd/potentially terrifying salute and outgoing POTUS Joe Biden’s down-to-the-wire blanket pardon.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2025
The stick and stone represent yes or no, while the leaf cards, which are specially incised with certain meanings, offer further clarification.
—Michelle Aroney and David Zeitlyn, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incise
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 June 2025
The coroner ruled Carol’s cause of death as hypovolemia, which is when the plasma is too low from excessive bleeding; multiple stab and incised wounds from a sharp instrument; and a blunt force injury that fractured the skull, according to the coroner’s report.
—Stephanie Warsmith, USA Today, 8 June 2025
The comedian and political host incised the D.C. affair with one-liners aimed at those in attendance (from their fashion choices to their general decision to show up at all), X owner Elon Musk’s odd/potentially terrifying salute and outgoing POTUS Joe Biden’s down-to-the-wire blanket pardon.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2025
The stick and stone represent yes or no, while the leaf cards, which are specially incised with certain meanings, offer further clarification.
—Michelle Aroney and David Zeitlyn, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incise
Verb
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After go-ahead shots in the final minute of back-to-back games, McCollum is etching his name in Knicks history as a name to cause trauma to fans.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The frustration was etched on Nikola Jokic’s face.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nicholson repeatedly stabbed her and slit her throat before stuffing her into a large plastic bin with her arms and legs sticking out, Porter said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
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If it’s baked in a loaf pan, go ahead and slit the top of the batter before baking.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tate — a Chicago native who started his high school career at Marist before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida, then starred as a receiver at Ohio State — wore a jacket with his mom’s name, Ashley Griggs, inscribed on the inside.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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These conditions are deeply inscribed in her work, which repeatedly returns to ideology, mourning, sacrifice, communism, ancestry, and the politics of the body.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another had been sliced in two by a monorail, like a magician’s assistant.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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In a lab at MSK, the tumor was preserved and sliced into fine pieces, each thinner than a human hair.—
Caleb Hellerman,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But the responsibility of all adults to protect the health of all kids is also engraved in that Declaration, Article 25.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
15 Apr. 2026
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The family is still trying to decide what to engrave on her headstone.—
Julia Coin
April 14,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Experts were on the ground about 15 minutes later to confirm the reports and found trees ripped from their root systems and a barn with its roof freshly torn off.—
Joseph Serna,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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His choreography, recreated from his work on the show, delivers big, bold, classic Broadway dance sequences that feel ripped from another era in the best way.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another is to carve the show closer to the bone, skipping over the contextual padding and focussing on the hundred and seventy-five pieces by Raphael.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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This site, the former capital of the Cherokee Nation, sits in a green valley carved by the confluence of Georgia's Coosawattee and Conasauga rivers.—
Keith Sharon,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Although the state of emergency has slashed El Salvador’s homicide rate, authorities have arrested over 91,000 people, with human rights groups documenting thousands of wrongful detentions.—
Marcos Aleman,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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European airlines have already slashed short haul capacity for April and May, with the region’s ‘big three’ network carriers — Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and IAG — also cutting transatlantic capacity, Bank of America analysis shows.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incise. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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