etch
Americanverb (used with object)
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etches,
present (3rd person singular)
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etched,
past participle, past
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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.
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to produce (a design, image, etc.) by this method, as on copper or glass.
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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
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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
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have been etchingperfect progressive
-
has been etchingperfect progressive
Past
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etchedsimple
-
had etchedperfect
-
was etchingprogressive
-
were etchingprogressive
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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:
These systems can etch miniscule circuits onto silicon to create microchips that power AI as well as all sorts of everyday electronics.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The machines use focused beams of ultraviolet light to etch on wafers of silicon billions of transistors roughly the width of a strand of DNA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 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
Still other presidents seem to treat foreign policy as a legacy play, a chance to etch their names for the ages to a degree that domestic politics just can’t match.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
Still weak from her tropical illness and pressed for time, she was forced to hire others to etch and engrave most of the copper plates based on her paintings.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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
"If you want to etch silicon while leaving a smooth surface, you should use another reactant than fluorine. It should be a reactant that etches uniformly all crystalline planes," Barsukov said.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024
A frown etches at the corners of his mouth.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
We are presented, for instance, with some of the many graffiti that were etched into the walls of backrooms and stairwells where enslaved people made their lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The sights and smells have etched themselves on Petra Mertens's mind.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
For starters, “Victory” is his daughter’s name, but both phrases are also a direct nod to the late Nipsey Hussle, who had the same words etched on his face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
In the end, our digital presence isn’t etched in concrete; it’s an ever-evolving story.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
The notes on the page are practically etched inside my head.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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
On the picture’s lower left lie three tools of the engraver’s trade: two burins, for making large designs, and an etching needle for smaller ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
“By no means are we etching anything in stone, but putting a framework out there to guide the community,” said Jerry Chow, IBM’s chief technology officer of quantum-centric computing.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
Then my fingers felt something that my eyes missed: a maze of grooves etching the surface of the bars.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
