enroll
Americanverb (used with object)
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to write the name of (a person) in a roll or register; place upon a list; register.
It took two days to enroll the new students.
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to enlist (oneself ).
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to put in a record; record.
to enroll the minutes of a meeting; to enroll the great events of history.
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to roll or wrap up.
fruit enrolled in tissue paper.
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Nautical. to document (a U.S. vessel) by issuing a certificate of enrollment.
verb (used without object)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of enroll
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English enrollen, from Old French enroller. See en- 1, roll
Explanation
If you like clowning around but you're not quite ready for the circus, you could enroll in clown college to perfect your skills. When you enroll, that means you formally add your name to the list — or roll — of students. You can enroll in things other than schools or classes, and you can also enroll someone else. You might enroll your Chihuahua in a research project investigating whether dogs like to wear hats, or you could enroll your rude nephew in charm school. The "roll" of enroll goes back to the rolls of parchment that were used in medieval times for writing official documents.
Vocabulary lists containing enroll
The Circuit
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Education and Academics, List 1
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"An Early Start on College"
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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:
She and her husband had always aimed for their son to enroll in kindergarten, after he earlier attended preschool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The idea was that a special school program would be attractive enough to serve as a “magnet” for white students to enroll at a school they might not otherwise attend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
To enroll in these programs, you must have an address in the area the plan serves.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Although taking part meant traveling to London for treatment, he chose to enroll and was referred to UCLH.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
I talked to Padre de Jesus L6pez, our new priest, who promised to talk to Padre Fabrd about letting Nelson enroll in Santo Tomas de Aquino in the capital.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
The authoritative voice we associate with Picard ordering his tea “Earl Grey, hot,” was fine-tuned over a career that began with training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where he enrolled in 1957.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
Prof Corrie worked with patients enrolled in the trial including 75-year old Tony Chapman, who was diagnosed with melanoma in 2019.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
To investigate whether omega-3 supplements could protect the aging brain, researchers enrolled 365 adults between the ages of 55 and 80.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Just over half of children eligible for the grade level are enrolled in TK, according to 2025 data, falling short of state projections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
He had been playing an instrument ever since the fourth grade, when his mother enrolled him in music class.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
After enrolling on the NHS Wales SilverCloud Space from Anxiety programme, he worked through a 12-week course, learning "how to manage my thoughts and let things go".
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
For example, eligible seniors who do not sign up for Part B may face a permanent penalty for enrolling late.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Ionis Pharmaceuticals conducted the international study across 13 clinical sites, enrolling 54 patients to evaluate the treatment's safety and effectiveness.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Owner Chad Jacob said parents enrolling their boys often said, “He’s missing something, and we don’t know what it is.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
She marched confidendy into the principal’s office with us in tow and informed him that he would have the pleasure of enrolling two of the brightest, most creative children in America in his school.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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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.
