etch
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
noun
verb
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(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
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has been etchingperfect progressive
Past
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etchedsimple
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had etchedperfect
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was etchingprogressive
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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:
It took Knight less than a year to etch her name into the history books, having seamlessly filled the void left by Edwards both as a captain and the team's most reliable batter.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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
XLight is seeking to improve on just one component of the EUV process: the crucially important lasers that etch complex microscopic patterns onto chemical-treated silicon wafers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025
Fracture lines etch the surface of the glass box as if a body fell from the sky and landed on it.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
From “Down goes Frazier!” to “Do you believe in miracles?” each one is a master class in timing and brevity that etches one singular moment straight into legend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
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
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
Some time etches past, and she finally looks at me properly.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Relief and ecstasy were etched across every Paraguay supporter's face.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
In 1942, he would do the same for “Wake Island” in the midst of World War II. His work was later etched into metal plates and used to mass-produce publicity prints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
He’s not OG Anunoby, whose last-second tip-in will forever be etched into the minds of New York sports fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
But after three straight starts, three straight wins and one series-clinching shutout, his name will be etched on the Stanley Cup forever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
My heart is already heavy, thinking about the letter I discovered and the sadness etched in its words.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Until now, most MXenes have been produced using chemical etching, a process that leaves a mix of surface atoms such as oxygen, fluorine, or chlorine scattered randomly across the material.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2026
The venture would also presumably need equipment for etching and deposition, which are manufacturing and packaging processes.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 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
The final frontier of silicon etching aims to cut that down to about 5 nanometers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Without my camera or a functioning phone, I look out the door, etching the scene in my mind.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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.
