transcription
Americannoun
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the act or process of transcribing.
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something transcribed.
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a transcript; copy.
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Music.
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the arrangement of a composition for a medium other than that for which it was originally written.
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a composition so arranged.
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Radio and Television. a recording made especially for broadcasting.
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Genetics. the process by which genetic information on a strand of DNA is used to synthesize a strand of complementary RNA.
noun
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the act or an instance of transcribing or the state of being transcribed
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something transcribed
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a representation in writing of the actual pronunciation of a speech sound, word, or piece of continuous text, using not a conventional orthography but a symbol or set of symbols specially designated as standing for corresponding phonetic values
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The process in a cell by which genetic material is copied from a strand of DNA to a complementary strand of RNA (called messenger RNA). In eukaryotes, transcription takes place in the nucleus before messenger RNA is transported to the ribosomes for protein synthesis.
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of transcription
First recorded in 1590–1600, transcription is from the Latin word trānscrīptiōn- (stem of trānscrīptiō ). See transcript, -ion
Explanation
A transcription is the document made by copying down in writing something that you listen to, like audio tapes, an interview, or comments made during a meeting. If you watch TV crime dramas, you’ve probably seen someone take a transcription while cops interview a suspect — that person is writing down all the things that are said. Transcription can also refer to the process of transcribing. If you’re a musician, you probably know that transcription can also describe adapting a piece of music for different instruments, like a cello transcription of a Beatles song.
Vocabulary lists containing transcription
The Write Stuff: Scrib, Script
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Genetics - High School
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STAAR Biology: Mechanisms of Genetics
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Transcription profiles suggest that the bacteria prioritized the repair of cellular damage in the aftermath of the impact.
From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026
Transcription is the initial step of gene expression involving copying of the DNA sequence to generate RNA molecules; it is crucial for most biological processes.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024
Transcription is a good job for military spouses who have a good ear, fast and accurate typing skills and good command of the English language.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2022
Related Transcription service Otter is making free users pay to access older recordings For free users, it means that they will no longer have access to all their past transcriptions — only the last 25.
From The Verge • Aug. 24, 2022
Appendix: Transcription notes: This etext was transcribed from a volume of the Twentieth Edition.
From The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century by Parkman, Francis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
