conscript
Americannoun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
conscriptsimple
-
conscriptssimple
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have conscriptedperfect
-
has conscriptedperfect
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am conscriptingprogressive
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are conscriptingprogressive
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is conscriptingprogressive
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have been conscriptingperfect progressive
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has been conscriptingperfect progressive
Past
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conscriptedsimple
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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
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Ender's Game
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This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
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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:
His manifestos mix smart political satire with comedic promises to cap croissant prices, improve WiFi on UK trains and conscript people using speakerphones on public transport.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 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
Tired as Illia is, the idea of fighting alongside a petrified conscript in a trench is not an appealing one.
From BBC ● May 6, 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
The dumb conscripts are given instant gratification and money.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
We joined a training session for Denmark’s conscripts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
If conscripts sign a contract to fight, they can end up on the front "within a month," Klyga said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Both reluctant conscripts and regime loyalists were no longer prepared to fight and die for a corrupt and cruel regime that repaid them with poverty and oppression.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
The Mexica were subordinated by a nearby city-state on the shore, and the tlatoani was forced to send Mexica men as conscripts for its wars.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
When asked about allegations that individuals were being conscripted outside their home township, he said transfers from other townships do occur when local quotas cannot be met.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
But as we round the first corner, almost all of the exhibits are the work of amateurs, conscripted from civilian life and professionalized into name, rank and number.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
"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
To protect Khouy from being conscripted into the army and Laine from being abducted by soldiers, they are married quickly in a quiet, secret ceremony with both sets of parents giving their blessings.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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
Although that practice ended decades ago, the program continues to draw criticism for keeping intelligent animals in captivity and conscripting them into human war efforts.
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2023
“But the army is conscripting all our young men.”
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
