1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

incising

verb

present participle of incise
1
as in etching
to cut (as letters or designs) on a hard surface incised a pattern into the copper plate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in slicing
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incising
  1. etching
  2. slicing
  3. inscribing
  4. slitting
  5. carving
  6. ripping
  7. engraving
  8. cutting
Verb
  • The shop is known for its ukiyo-e, or Japanese woodblock, prints, as well as for its use of etching, aquatint, monotype, screen-printing, and digital hybrid methods.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In addition to etchings and pet nose art, Pratt makes complete keepsake etchings consisting of a pet portrait etching, a pet’s personal item, their paw print and other mementos.
    — Yvonne Villasenor, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of etching
Verb
  • Our two Indonesian terrorists/arms dealers take turns slicing jumbo-size leaves of flesh off of Reacher’s leaking husk.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Throwing off-platform, Jackson hit Flowers in stride, and Flowers did the rest, slicing through the defense with electric speed for the touchdown.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of slicing
Verb
  • Roupp could not recall previously inscribing that message on his cap during a game.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
  • Like inscribing shell casings, communicating messages in connection with high-profile acts of violence has a long history.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Definition of inscribing
Verb
  • The prosecutor said Tran tried to take his own life by slitting a wrist, cutting his neck and poking a blade into his stomach.
    — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
  • When Rochelle Luna, 18, arrived at the house hours later, Djerf bound, gagged and raped her before stabbing her and slitting her throat, court records said.
    — Elena Santa Cruz, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of slitting
Verb
  • Three councilors appeared to agree with that assessment on Monday, voting 3-1 to approve carving QLevr LLC's project out of the moratorium requirements.
    — Conor Wight, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Related Articles Choosing the 50 works to sell was not simply a matter of carving off a portion of the collection.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of carving
Verb
  • From Jonathan Allen to Bryan Cook to Boye Mafe to Cashius Howell to Lawrence, everybody had a hand in it — usually one ripping at Baker Mayfield’s grip on the football.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Wildfires are ripping across parts of Indonesia, destroying precious peatland and smothering the country in a toxic smoke so thick, people are struggling to breathe.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of ripping
Verb
  • Although Craven’s touch is missing, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett honor his memory by mimicking his style while engraving their own slick mark.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Genesis claims that this Wing Face Micro Lens Array is an industry first and required a special laser-engraving process to execute.
    — Marco Della Cava, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of engraving
Verb
  • By cutting the number of working holiday visas, critics say, the government risks causing more economic pain.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The state’s top law enforcement officer will not shed any light on why subpoenas were recently served on a slew of Broward County officials regarding the county’s efforts to explore cutting ties with the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
    — Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of cutting
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.

Browse Nearby Words

incises
incising
incision
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incising. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All