often attributive
1
: a colored usually liquid material for writing and printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod
3
slang
: publicity sense 2d
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
Albert Mobilio
inked; inking; inks
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 incarefully 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
Marge Crumbaker3
informal
: tattoo
… got himself an elaborate tattoo, his first, inked along his right shoulder …—S. L. Price
S. L. PriceKaufman plans on inking a tat to memorialize his accident.—Micah Abrams
Micah AbramsHis heavily muscled arms are inked shoulder to wrist.—Eve Conant
Eve ConantExamples 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
April White, JSTOR Daily, 21 Mar. 2025
Its bright white and ink black hues are perfect to use as workable neutrals in your regular bag rotation, while the ocean blue can add a vibrant pop of color to your favorite sundresses and casual wear.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
Luisa Zargani, WWD, 11 Mar. 2025
That deal was the largest in A’s history from when it was signed in 2004 to when Severino inked his contract, nearly 21 years later.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ink
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Noun
But in the stacks of the Alderman Library on the campus of the University of Virginia, the pencil and ink on the carrel shelf looked like nothing more than meaningless graffiti to almost everyone—except Professor Lise Dobrin and her students.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 21 Mar. 2025
Its bright white and ink black hues are perfect to use as workable neutrals in your regular bag rotation, while the ocean blue can add a vibrant pop of color to your favorite sundresses and casual wear.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
The decrease was attributed to the end of the license with Jimmy Choo, which went on to ink a 10-year agreement with EssilorLuxottica.
—Luisa Zargani, WWD, 11 Mar. 2025
That deal was the largest in A’s history from when it was signed in 2004 to when Severino inked his contract, nearly 21 years later.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ink
Cite this Entry
“Ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ink. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ink
1 of 2 noun1
: a usually liquid material for writing or printing
2
: the black protective secretion of a cephalopod
ink
2 of 2 verb1
: to put ink on
2
: to write or draw in ink
inker
noun
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