etch
Americanverb (used with object)
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etches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
etched,
past participle, past
-
etching
present participle
-
to cut, bite, or corrode with an acid or the like; engrave with an acid or the like, as to form a design in furrows that when charged with ink will give an impression on paper.
-
to produce (a design, image, etc.) by this method, as on copper or glass.
-
to outline clearly or sharply; delineate, as a person's features or character.
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to fix permanently in or implant firmly on the mind; root in the memory.
Our last conversation is etched in my memory.
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Geology. to cut (a feature) into the surface of the earth by means of erosion.
A deep canyon was etched into the land by the river's rushing waters.
verb (used without object)
-
etches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
etched,
past participle, past
-
etching
present participle
noun
verb
-
(tr) to wear away the surface of (a metal, glass, etc) by chemical action, esp the action of an acid
-
to cut or corrode (a design, decoration, etc) on (a metal or other plate to be used for printing) by using the action of acid on parts not covered by wax or other acid-resistant coating
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(tr) to cut with or as if with a sharp implement
he etched his name on the table
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(tr; usually passive) to imprint vividly
the event was etched on her memory
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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etchsimple
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etchessimple
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have etchedperfect
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has etchedperfect
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am etchingprogressive
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are etchingprogressive
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is etchingprogressive
-
have been etchingperfect progressive
-
has been etchingperfect progressive
Past
-
etchedsimple
-
had etchedperfect
-
was etchingprogressive
-
were etchingprogressive
-
had been etchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of etch
1625–35; < Dutch etsen < German ätzen to etch, originally cause to eat; cognate with Old English ettan to graze; akin to eat
Explanation
If you etch something you are cutting into it. You can etch "I ♥ U" into a tree trunk with a pocket knife or etch your initials in your desk with a key (if the teacher's not looking). However and whatever you etch, it is generally considered a deep and lasting mark. The figurative use of etch is just as common as its literal sense. A particularly powerful memory, image or emotion is said to "etch itself" into your mind, meaning, like that piece of graffiti you etched into the tree trunk, it won't be likely to be erased anytime soon. Incise and carve are often interchangeable with etch.
Vocabulary lists containing etch
Holes
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The Poet X
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The Wild Robot
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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.
See Examples For:
And if it does end up being blocked by the courts, he still managed to etch out a win.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
Because of U.S. export curbs, China has access only to previous-generation deep-ultraviolet, or DUV, machines, which can’t etch with as much precision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
It took Knight less than a year to etch her name into the history books, having seamlessly filled the void left by Edwards both as a captain and the team's most reliable batter.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
As chip makers look to add manufacturing capacity to meet steep demand, deposition and etch technology are driving Ichor’s growth, Shi said.
From MarketWatch ● May 9, 2026
Even used a wood burner to etch those words: Byrd's Potting Shed.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
A weekend the Mercedes driver etches his name into the history books as the youngest driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
On the wafer’s surface, a chemical substrate called a photoresist reacts to the light, and etches the stencil pattern into the silicon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
He excitedly explains how he etches the tags with a metal machine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2024
It is called Murakami's reagent, which etches away carbon residue and changes the colour of steel in knife making, for example.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 16, 2024
Some time etches past, and she finally looks at me properly.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
A brick archway, leading into Harvard Yard, bearing an etched inscription:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The herky-jerky, unceasing Children of the Hydra’s Teeth are all memorable menace, their details etched deep into the film stock by the punishing midday sun of the Mediterranean.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
The organisers of Sydney Marathon have laughed off a mistake which saw a German stadium etched on to medals for participants, saying "we're not going to run from it".
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
The sights and smells have etched themselves on Petra Mertens's mind.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
But there he was, climbing the biggest beanstalk he’d ever seen, just like the one etched onto his left hand.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
They moved away from etching circuitry onto a single piece of expensive silicon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Read: There have been updates over time, but the original glass etching featuring a mythical unicorn remains on a window in the study.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The event includes Woman with an Arm Tattoo, an etching depicting Sue Tilley, and runs until 13 September.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Until now, most MXenes have been produced using chemical etching, a process that leaves a mix of surface atoms such as oxygen, fluorine, or chlorine scattered randomly across the material.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2026
He’ll probably hide in the garden shed etching pictures on the soft wooden walls with sharp rocks.
From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
