conscript
Americannoun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
conscriptsimple
-
conscriptssimple
-
have conscriptedperfect
-
has conscriptedperfect
-
am conscriptingprogressive
-
are conscriptingprogressive
-
is conscriptingprogressive
-
have been conscriptingperfect progressive
-
has been conscriptingperfect progressive
Past
-
conscriptedsimple
-
had conscriptedperfect
-
was conscriptingprogressive
-
were conscriptingprogressive
-
had been conscriptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of conscript
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin conscrīptus “enrolled,” past participle of conscrībere “to enroll, enlist”; see conscribe ( def. )
Explanation
If you’re ever drafted into the army, then you could be called a conscript, someone who is forced to join the military. At the root of conscript is the Latin word conscriptus, meaning “enroll.” Conscript does involve enrollment — but it’s a forced enrollment, used to describe someone who has been forced to join the military, such as someone who has been drafted. As a verb, conscript means "force to join," like a military that conscripts new soldiers. In contrast, those who choose to join are recruited; when they enter the service, they enlist.
Vocabulary lists containing conscript
The American Civil War
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Ender's Game
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Trudging through snow, a young Finnish conscript carefully draws a thin blue wire between two pine trees.
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026
The legislation, which was watered down from its original draft, will make it easier to identify every conscript in the country.
From Seattle Times ● May 18, 2024
Another conscript was Hussain, from Ohn Taw Gyi camp, which is also near Sittwe.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2024
He had not handled a gun since he was a teenage conscript in Hitler’s Wehrmacht at the end of World War II.
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2023
“I told him you are my brother. He said he will make sure nobody comes here to conscript you.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
It is debating lifting the prohibition on conscripts serving outside Sweden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
The dumb conscripts are given instant gratification and money.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
"As a result, conscripts are now ending up in the war in record numbers."
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Around 800 people are in the first batch of conscripts.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
It was as if the elderly man’s leaving had angered him and that he held not the second soldier but the new conscripts responsible.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"We are glad they are finally gone, because they ruled by fear," said 25-year-old Sonuram Gutta, who said he was conscripted into the insurgency, but was allowed to leave after a few years of fighting.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
With able-bodied German men conscripted to fight in the war, workers from the lands the Nazis occupied were drafted to meet the labor shortage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
One kind and patient spectator conscripted to play the school counselor had to remove her shoe to improvise a sock puppet, one of the tools of her empathetic practice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
The conductor was Kurt Masur, a German who had been conscripted by the Nazis as a teenager.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
Based on their experiences in the Great War, people assumed women and children would be safe, but able-bodied men would be conscripted into the German army as forced laborers.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
As a Christian minister of an American Baptist congregation, I’ve spent more than 20 years in a pulpit — long enough to know the difference between protecting a church and conscripting one.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Temporary arrangements to continue it were formally ended by the court last year, forcing the government to begin conscripting the community.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
On November 19, Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the government was required to present an effective proposal for conscripting the ultra-Orthodox.
From Barron's ● Nov. 29, 2025
At the same time, Russia was fortifying its defensive lines, converting its economy to war production, conscripting hundreds of thousands of fighters and adjusting its strategy for renewed offensives this winter.
From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2024
“But the army is conscripting all our young men.”
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
