ink
Americannoun
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a fluid or viscous substance used for writing or printing.
-
a dark, protective fluid ejected by the cuttlefish and other cephalopods.
-
Slang. a tattoo or tattoos.
Oh, nice, you got new ink!
-
Informal. publicity, especially in print media.
Their construction plans got some ink in the local paper.
verb (used with object)
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inks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
inked,
past participle, past
-
inking
present participle
-
to mark, stain, cover, or smear with ink.
to ink one's clothes.
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Informal. to sign one's name to (an official document).
We expect to ink the contract tomorrow.
verb (used with or without object)
-
inks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
inked,
past participle, past
-
inking
present participle
noun
-
a fluid or paste used for printing, writing, and drawing
-
a dark brown fluid ejected into the water for self-concealment by an octopus or related mollusc from a gland ( ink sac ) near the anus
verb
-
to mark with ink
-
to coat (a printing surface) with ink
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inksimple
-
inkssimple
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have inkedperfect
-
has inkedperfect
-
am inkingprogressive
-
are inkingprogressive
-
is inkingprogressive
-
have been inkingperfect progressive
-
has been inkingperfect progressive
Past
-
inkedsimple
-
had inkedperfect
-
was inkingprogressive
-
were inkingprogressive
-
had been inkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ink
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English inke, inc, enke, from Old French enca, enque, ancre, from Late Latin encautum, variant of encaustum “burnt in, painted in,” from Greek énkauston “purple ink (used for imperial signatures),” noun use of neuter of énkaustos “burnt in”; see encaustic
Explanation
Ink is a colored liquid that you use to write with on paper. When you sign on the dotted line, you usually do so with ink. You'll usually find ink inside a pen, automatically flowing through its tip, although years ago people had to dip a quill into a pot of ink to write with ink. Other ways ink is used include printing images, stamping information, and drawing pictures. Another ink is the fluid released by certain mollusks, like squids, to hide them from predators. Ink, from the Old French encre, "dark writing fluid," has the Greek root enkaiein, "to burn in."
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:
Its outlined forms of three rabbits and a deer either take shape out of Hua’s smoky ink washes or evanesce into them, a depiction of ecological destruction that seems contemporary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
The toilets are in a "pitiful" state, some without locks; internet access is patchy in classrooms, and a lack of printer ink sometimes leaves handouts unreadable, he added, his friends nodding along.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Our staffer @vanessafranko does pen and ink drawings to compensate when artists don’t let us take their photo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
A photo Neha shared on Instagram showed their face streaked with ink stains.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
At least I’m in a science classroom with a ton of cleaning supplies because it takes the rest of homeroom for me to wipe up the ink.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Packard-Grams' expertise proved particularly useful for Seiler's project because she has studied the chemical composition of inks on Egyptian papyri in Berkeley's collection.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
He’ll sign the richest contract in NBA history for an undrafted free agent when he inks the $185-million contract.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
The new monochrome packages will go on sale in Japan May 25, Calbee said, blaming difficulties procuring raw materials such as naphtha, a petrochemical used in paints and inks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
The CEO of Blick Art Materials told Hyperallergic that the company had “purchased more inventory than normal for a few product lines to hedge against higher costs,” such as paints, inks, and utensils.
From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2025
Most startling of all, a splendid dark cartoon of a black eye was stamped in a ring on my eye socket, in the richest inks of Tyrian, chartreuse, and plum.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Startup LemonLime earlier this year offered interviews to anyone at a networking party willing to get inked with a company tattoo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Beyond this nuclear-generation deal, the companies also inked a 15-year agreement covering an additional 2,700 megawatts.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Regardless of the clear hurdles that remain before any new US-China deals are inked, it is clear that Trump views personal contact with Xi as vital to the process.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
What’s more, many pilots are feeling flush, particularly after they inked a series of lucrative contracts recently.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Instead it is a picture, inked in black and white and shades of grey.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
The Dodgers signed closer Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69-million contract in the offseason — inking a closer to a multi-year deal for the second straight year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Every tattooed person he interviewed in the 2000s for his research cited David Beckham as their inspiration; the footballer made a statement when he got his first inking in 1999.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
And the DOD hasn’t limited itself to mining, inking a $1 billion investment in defense contractor L3Harris’s Missile Solutions unit in exchange for convertible equity.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Instead—during a summer when other players were inking deals north of $250 million—Brunson sat in the NBA’s bargain bin, and the Knicks could scoop him at just the 46th-highest salary in the league.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Quickly he grabbed a pen and began inking over the words.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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