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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
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
Indeed, Ehrlich mines her treasure trove to create jewels imbued with the presence of the past, molding, for example, bronze age Viking bracelets in wax, incising them with enigmatic marks and casting them in 18-karat gold or sterling silver.
—Kyle Roderick, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for incise
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
Indeed, Ehrlich mines her treasure trove to create jewels imbued with the presence of the past, molding, for example, bronze age Viking bracelets in wax, incising them with enigmatic marks and casting them in 18-karat gold or sterling silver.
—Kyle Roderick, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for incise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incise
Verb
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When commissioners hold their first meeting in the new chambers Thursday, they will be seated in a building again reflecting its 1930s heyday as a seaplane terminal, before plaster and acoustic tile masked the historic designs etched on the ceilings.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
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Ride past dry-stone walls, Irish-language signposts, and grid-like limestone fields etched by generations.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 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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Envelopes inscribed with cursive text, luggage cart run-ups at London’s King’s Cross Station and sweeping landscape shots glimpsed through a train window are also likely to get the hearts of diehard fans pounding.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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Scattered around the garden are various architectural fragments and inscribed stones of great antiquity.—
Ben Lerner,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The terse staff will slice a rectangular piece of pizza for you from a long slab, wrap it in paper, and send you on your way.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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Those threats include boat strikes from propellers slicing through shells, being caught in fishing nets, shoreline development, tree removal reducing natural cover, de-icing bubblers that give otters access to hibernating turtles, and climate change.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Less than six months after Cesar Chavez died, his family members were in Santa Ana engraving their names in cement during a groundbreaking for Cesar Chavez Continuation High School.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
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Looking ecstatic and dazed, Arkapaw, who’s also the first Black director of photography to win an Oscar, ascended the platform to get her statue engraved beside her young son.—
Brittany Levine Beckman,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Those big waves, spurred by new variants and subvariants that ripped through the state from 2020 to 2022, are no longer as concerning.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
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On-screen, the emergencies are larger than life with firenadoes, dangling trailers and Murphy-bed mishaps ripped from real headlines.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 1775, under the Spanish Crown, Anza led an expedition that carved a route from Sonora, Mexico, to what would eventually become San Francisco.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Her Blossom Marble Bowl—carved from a single block of honeycomb or travertine marble in Rajasthan—is unfurled, like a flower caught in late bloom.—
Kathryn O’Shea-Evans,
Robb Report,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tuesday, however, Epic Games slashed about 20 percent of its staff, more than 1,000 jobs, citing problems with its flagship Fortnite franchise … the same franchise that Disney’s Epic Games deal is connected to.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
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Such an outcome could slash oil prices, flooding the market with supply currently choked by military threats in the Strait of Hormuz.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incise. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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