enroll

American  

[en-rohl] / ɛnˈroʊl /

especially British, enrol

verb (used with object)

enrolled, enrolling

1. 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.

2. to enlist (oneself ).

3. to put in a record; record.

   to enroll the minutes of a meeting; to enroll the great events of history.

4. to roll or wrap up.

   fruit enrolled in tissue paper.

5. Nautical. to document (a U.S. vessel) by issuing a certificate of enrollment.

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verb (used without object)

enrolled, enrolling

1. to enroll oneself.

   He enrolled in college last week.

Other Word Forms

• enroller
  noun
• preenroll
  verb
• reenroll
  verb

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

enroll enrolled enrolling

This class, which is significantly less rigorous than AP Computer Science, does seem to enroll more girls and more black and Hispanic students and is more like a social science.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Even so, she was surprised when a family member contacted the laboratory hoping to enroll her dying father in the clinical trial.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

In California, that would mean election officials would have to enroll 23 million voters with new bar codes before state ballots could be mailed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

If you enroll between Dec. 16 and Jan. 15, coverage starts Feb. 1.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026

Money was always an issue for her though, and she couldn’t afford to enroll him in a school that demanded tuition.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Based on plan projections, total enrollment in Medicare Advantage is estimated to be 34 million in 2027, representing about 47.4% of all people enrolled in Medicare.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Once enrolled, students will spend up to 80% of their time on project-based learning such as building an AI model, creating a product or interviewing industry experts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

In the former Eden Council area, only 64% of those eligible were enrolled and in the former Copeland Council area, take-up was 68%.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

However, figures suggest thousands of eligible families have not enrolled.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

After returning from Vietnam, he’d moved to Washington, DC, and enrolled in junior college.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

That means enrolling ever more patients and waiting longer to catch enough cardiovascular “events” to show statistical benefit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

They then woo the young people into enrolling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

After enrolling in what he assumed would be an easy acting class during his senior year of high school, Zucker became obsessed with improv and comedy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Also, could enrolling in college courses make her eligible for a student health-insurance plan that would be more affordable?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Dr. Chase insists that it’s too soon for me to attempt enrolling in high school.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Related Words

• accept
• admit
• employ
• engage
• enlist
• enter
• join
• obtain
• recruit
• register