insert

[verb in-surt; noun in-surt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR insert ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to put or place in: to insert a key in a lock.

to introduce or cause to be introduced into the body of something: to insert an extra paragraph in an article.

noun

an extra leaf or section, printed independently, for binding or tipping into a book or periodical, especially a leaf or section consisting of an illustration or advertisement printed on different paper.

any small picture, device, etc., surrounded partly or completely by body type.

a paper, circular, etc., placed within the folds of a newspaper or the leaves of a book, periodical, etc.

Movies, Television. a cut-in.

Origin of insert

1520–30; < Latin insertus past participle of inserere to put in, insert, equivalent to in- in-² + ser- (stem of serere to link together) + -tus past participle suffix

Related formsin·sert·a·ble, adjectivein·sert·er, nounin·ter·in·sert, verb (used with object)pre·in·sert, verb (used with object)re·in·sert, verb (used with object)sub·in·sert, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for insert

introduce, stick, enter, implant, include, embed, inject, imbed, intrude, set, interlope, interpose, interpolate, infuse, admit, insinuate, place, interject, obtrude, inlay

Examples from the Web for insert

Contemporary Examples of insert

These tend to arrive when Shuler tempers his impulse to insert himself into the action.
The Twisted History of the Noose
Kevin Canfield
August 27, 2014
Klinsmann may also insert Aron Johannsson at some point if the Americans need added juice up front.
USA vs. Germany World Cup Primer: Everything You Need to Know About the Epic Showdown
Marlow Stern
June 26, 2014
The state likely will lead in the countervailing lawsuits when (insert a horrid disease here) is found to be linked to e-puffing.
Big Tobacco, Not MRSA, Is the Real Problem With E-Cigarettes
Kent Sepkowitz
May 20, 2014
Insert your own cognitive disabilities from head-butting in the House of Representatives joke.
Up to a Point: The U.S. Government’s Minimum Wage Is $430 Million Per Hour
P. J. O’Rourke
March 21, 2014
How many times has a friend or coworker insisted that You.Have.To.See [Insert Critically Acclaimed Series Here]?
‘True Detective’ Review: You Have to Watch HBO’s Revolutionary Crime Classic
Andrew Romano
January 11, 2014

Historical Examples of insert

After the word "played," in the fifth line, insert the words, "if it is ever played at all."
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 17, July 23, 1870
Various
Now bore a hole in the other end, in which insert the thread.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 3, April 16, 1870
Various
She had managed to insert it in the door, hoping that Kay would find it.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various
The result of his observations I shall also insert in the Appendix.
Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air
Joseph Priestley
We have to insert its thin edge at a comma, or else keep still.
The Dominant Strain
Anna Chapin Ray

British Dictionary definitions for insert

insert

verb (ɪnˈsɜːt) (tr)

to put in or between; introduce

to introduce, as into text, such as a newspaper; interpolate

noun (ˈɪnsɜːt)

something inserted

a folded section placed in another for binding in with a book
a printed sheet, esp one bearing advertising, placed loose between the leaves of a book, periodical, etc

another word for cut in (def. 6)

Derived Formsinsertable, adjectiveinserter, noun

Word Origin for insert

C16: from Latin inserere to plant in, ingraft, from in- ² + serere to join

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for insert

"to set in, put or place in," 1520s, from insert, past participle of Middle English inseren "to set in place, to graft, to introduce (into the mind)" (late 14c.), from Latin inserere "to put in, implant," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + serere "join together" (see series). Related: Inserted; inserting. The noun meaning "something inserted" is from 1893.