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 said she planned to enroll international students who want to learn English online and earn an American high school diploma.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Californians with a valid driver’s license or identification cards can enroll in the pilot program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
This fall, he’ll move from Seattle to New York to enroll in a graduate program to become a teacher.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
For herself one day, she hopes to enroll in an MTA training program for elevator and escalator maintenance that is funded by both the union and her employer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Without a birth certificate I would have never been allowed to enroll at any of the tribal schools in Alexandra.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Medicare Part D is private prescription-drug coverage offered to people enrolled in traditional Medicare and is also included in most Medicare Advantage plans.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
West Virginia, a state with fewer school-age students than are enrolled in Chicago Public Schools, has gained about 40 new private schools.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
The new analysis included more than 25,000 participants enrolled in a long-running study of U.S. youths.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
DMV officials said people enrolled in the mobile driver’s license program can show their digital licenses at select Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, including at San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
In 1963, right after high school, she enrolled in nursing school in New York.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
UC is outpacing that, and says it is on track to reach its goal of enrolling 217,000 California resident undergraduates by 2030.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
They urged organisations to ramp up their cyber security measures by taking steps such as enrolling in the government-backed Cyber Essentials certification scheme.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The student body has been getting younger, with "a lot more students from the high schools" enrolling at Apex Technical School, said Zelda Cuesta, agency coordinator.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Among the many families she knows, Hinojosa thinks there are only about five who are even aware of the accounts — and they aren’t enrolling yet, either.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
One recent national survey found that about 75 percent of students enrolling in community colleges said they hoped to transfer to a four-year institution.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
