etch
Americanverb (used with object)
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etches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
etched,
past participle, past
-
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.
-
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
-
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
-
etchedsimple
-
had etchedperfect
-
was etchingprogressive
-
were etchingprogressive
-
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:
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
It means if any of the three clubs were to climb out of the relegation zone and preserve their top-flight status, they would etch their names into the record books.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
The tech giant has pumped jobs, people and money into the community of roughly 8,000, doubling many home prices and enticing builders to etch new neighborhoods into surrounding hillsides.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025
She also learned how to etch her plates, adding delicacy to her designs.
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
At her packing house, durians are passed under a laser that etches a serial number onto the skin of each fruit.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2024
A frown etches at the corners of his mouth.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Patekar portrayed characters that would "remain etched in the memory of generations", Modi wrote on X, adding that his death had left "a vast void in the artistic world".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Many of the names who dreamed up these wonders are now etched in design history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
A brick archway, leading into Harvard Yard, bearing an etched inscription:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The herky-jerky, unceasing Children of the Hydra’s Teeth are all memorable menace, their details etched deep into the film stock by the punishing midday sun of the Mediterranean.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
The initials CHB were etched into the leather strap in the center.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
The event includes Woman with an Arm Tattoo, an etching depicting Sue Tilley, and runs until 13 September.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
As a student, he took up etching, in part because the Royal College of Art covered the costs of his materials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
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
The picture side shows a black-and-white etching of a child in a bed covered in fluffy pillows and a checkered quilt, not in a nursery but under a star-sprinkled night sky.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
