ink

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
: a colored usually liquid material for writing and printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod
3
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
inkiness noun
inky adjective

ink

2 of 2

verb

inked; inking; inks

transitive verb

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 in
carefully 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
3
informal : tattoo
… got himself an elaborate tattoo, his first, inked along his right shoulder …S. L. Price
Kaufman plans on inking a tat to memorialize his accident.Micah Abrams
His heavily muscled arms are inked shoulder to wrist.Eve Conant

Examples 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
Noun
When The New York Times reached out to the pen manufacturer, Lamy confirmed that the inks were slightly different, citing the fact that some ingredients from the original are no longer available. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 Using a nearly monochromatic mix of black ink and photographic stills, Kantor imagines the moment when Haim escaped a group of Nazis by hiding in a pigsty. Peter Debruge, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Accessory manufacturers, selling ink, tattoo guns and other items, said the Motor City Expo is their most lucrative time of the year. Detroit Free Press, 3 Mar. 2024 On Wednesday, Lamy confirmed to The New York Times that the inks were slightly different. Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Wearing nothing but leathery pants and a few pieces of silver jewelry, the Sin City figure allowed fans to get up close and personal with the star’s muscles and body ink. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 1 Mar. 2024 The study analyzed nine major tattoo ink brands in the United States, and found that out of the 54 inks examined, 45 contained undisclosed additives or pigments known for posing health risks. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 One of the first bits of ink added to his body was a portrait of his mother, Celia, which sits on his left shoulder blade. Nasha Smith, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 Much ink has been spilled about where fintech is going. Alex Lazarow, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024
Verb
She’s also inked deals with Gatorade, Nike and State Farm, among others. Eric Levenson, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 The video captured the mom and daughter sharing laughs as the tattoo artist inked the words on Milania's side. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 The financial outlay dwarfed the record $4 million signing bonus for Dominican shortstop Luis Almanzar, inked just days earlier. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024 Expanding The Number Of U.S. Races As reported earlier for Forbes, when initially inked, the race in Portland, OR was thought to be only a two-year bridging date on the schedule. Maury Brown, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 The Wall Street Journal first reported the big deal, which was inked off-market earlier this week. James McClain, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2024 In Virginia, Microsoft inked a deal with Constellation Energy Corp. that guarantees more than 90% of the power for its area data center will be zero-carbon energy. Naureen S. Malik, Fortune, 25 Feb. 2024 The stock had its worst day in months, Microsoft inked a deal with rival Intel, and Wall Street’s earnings expectations were sky-high. Quartz Staff, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2024 The project comes after Cruise inked a splashy (but not exclusive) deal with Warner Bros. last month, leading to rampant speculation over what the pact would yield. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English enke, from Anglo-French encre, enke, from Late Latin encaustum, from neuter of Latin encaustus burned in, from Greek enkaustos, verbal of enkaiein to burn in — more at encaustic

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ink was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near ink

Cite this Entry

“Ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ink. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ink

1 of 2 noun
1
: a usually liquid material for writing or printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod

ink

2 of 2 verb
1
: to put ink on
2
: to write or draw in ink
inker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ink

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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