annotate

verb

an·​no·​tate ˈa-nə-ˌtāt 

annotated; annotating

intransitive verb

: to make or furnish critical or explanatory notes or comment

transitive verb

: to make or furnish annotations (see annotation sense 1) for (something, such as a literary work or subject)

annotated his translation of Dante's Divine Comedy

annotative

ˈa-nə-ˌtā-tiv 

adjective

annotator

ˈa-nə-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Examples of annotate in a Sentence

He annotated the text at several places.

Recent Examples on the Web

Annotating pens and highlighters If your favorite reader loves to annotate their hard copies, set them up for success with some supplies. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024

OpenAI says this version is specifically designed for more complex problems and reasoning—things like annotating genetic sequencing data or generating complex mathematical models. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024

Readers will find the text of the Treaty of Paris below, annotated with scholarship around the treaty, the war, and the conditions prior and post treaty. —Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 14 Nov. 2024

Readers can annotate ebooks in color (pink, yellow, blur, and orange), but stylus support would have made this super simple. —Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin annotatus, past participle of annotare, from ad- + notare to mark — more at note

First Known Use

1693, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

annotate

verb

an·​no·​tate ˈan-ə-ˌtāt 

annotated; annotating

: to make or add explanatory notes

annotator

-ˌtāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

annotate

verb

an·​no·​tate ˈa-nə-ˌtāt 

annotated; annotating

intransitive verb

: to make or write an annotation

transitive verb

: to make or write annotations for

annotator

-ˌtā-tər 

noun