insertion
Americannoun
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insertions
plural
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the act of inserting.
the insertion of a coin in a vending machine.
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something inserted.
an insertion in the middle of a paragraph.
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Botany, Zoology.
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the manner or place of attachment, as of an organ.
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attachment of a part or organ, with special reference to the site or manner of such attachment.
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lace, embroidery, or the like, to be sewn at each edge between parts of other material.
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Aerospace. injection.
noun
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the act of inserting or something that is inserted
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a word, sentence, correction, etc, inserted into text, such as a newspaper
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a strip of lace, embroidery, etc, between two pieces of material
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anatomy the point or manner of attachment of a muscle to the bone that it moves
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botany the manner or point of attachment of one part to another
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of insertion
First recorded in 1570–80, insertion is from the Late Latin word insertiōn- (stem of insertiō ). See insert, -ion
Explanation
An insertion is when you put something into another thing, like the insertion of a key into a lock, or the insertion of a comment into a conversation. You probably notice that the noun insertion contains the verb insert, meaning “put in.” An insertion is something that’s put into something else. It can be used literally to describe, for example, the insertion of a page in a binder, but it also can be used more figuratively. For example, the insertion of the president into office happens every four years. And your brother may constantly make insertions into discussions he knows nothing about.
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:
According to some outside medical experts, she likely “survived the procedure because the drug, pentobarbital, probably poured into tissue surrounding the insertion sites instead of entering her bloodstream.”
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
“Successful orbital insertion burn. Starship is in orbit,” Jake Berkowitz, a SpaceX propulsion engineer, said on the company’s livestream.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Paracervical blocks are so effective that both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support using them during IUD insertion.
From Slate ● Jun. 7, 2026
"I wouldn't call it nominal orbital insertion," company spokesperson Dan Huot said, adding however that it was "within bounds" of a previously analyzed trajectory.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
I walked across the grassy area behind the building until I reached the Army’s insertion point, a glass door.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Many clinicians point to the paracervical block—a simple, targeted injection of a local anesthetic around the cervix—as a way to greatly reduce pain during IUD insertions.
From Slate ● Jun. 7, 2026
The insertions of social criticism seem especially misplaced, because the core of this compact novel is so tough and powerful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
Fourth-year veterinarian student Alexandra Ponkey maneuvered the camera and the surgical tools through the insertions on the belly of a 2-year-old German Shepherd named Jackie.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025
The structural and biochemical analyses also indicated that the reverse transcriptase could lead to additional, undesired insertions.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2024
By eight o’clock in the morning, the teams had begun their insertions.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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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.
