print

¹ American  

[print] / prɪnt /

verb (used with object)

1. to produce (a text, picture, etc.) by applying inked types, plates, blocks, or the like, to paper or other material either by direct pressure or indirectly by offsetting an image onto an intermediate roller.

2. to reproduce (a design or pattern) by engraving on a plate or block.

3. to form a design or pattern upon, as by stamping with an engraved plate or block.

   to print calico.

4. to cause (a manuscript, text, etc.) to be published in print.

5. to write in letters like those commonly used in print.

   Print your name on these forms.

6. Computers. to produce (data) in legible alphanumeric or graphic form.

7. to indent or mark by pressing something into or upon (something).

8. to produce or fix (an indentation, mark, etc.), as by pressure.

9. to impress on the mind, memory, etc.

10. to fingerprint.

11. to apply (a thing) with pressure so as to leave an indentation, mark, etc..

    The horses printed their hoofs on the wet grass.

12. Photography. to produce a positive picture from (a negative) by the transmission of light.

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verb (used without object)

1. to take impressions from type, an engraved plate, etc., as in a press.

2. to produce by means of a reproduction process.

   to print in color; to print unevenly.

3. to make an image by means of ink, chemical action, etc., as type, engraved plates, etc..

   This type is too worn to print cleanly.

4. to write in characters such as are used in print.

   He'd rather print than use longhand.

5. to follow the vocation of a printer.

noun

1. the state of being printed.

2. printed lettering, especially with reference to character, style, or size.

   This print is too large for footnotes.

3. printed material.

4. a printed publication, as a newspaper or magazine.

5. newsprint.

6. a picture, design, or the like, printed from an engraved or otherwise prepared block, plate, etc.

7. an indentation, mark, etc., made by the pressure of one body or thing on another.

8. something with which an impression is made; a stamp or die.

9. a fingerprint.

10. Textiles.

    1. a design or pattern on cloth made by dyeing, weaving, or printing with engraved rollers, blocks of wood, stencils, etc.

    2. a cloth so treated.

    3. an article of apparel made of this cloth.

11. something that has been subjected to impression, as a pat of butter.

12. Photography. a picture, especially a positive made from a negative.

13. any reproduced image, as a blueprint.

14. Movies, Television. a positive copy of a completed film or filmed program ready for showing; release print.

adjective

1. of, for, or comprising newspapers and magazines.

   print media.

verb phrase

1. print in burn. Also burn in

2. print out to make a printout of.

idioms

1. out of print, (of a book or the like) no longer available for purchase from the publisher.

2. in print,

   1. in printed form; published.

   2. (of a book or the like) still available for purchase from the publisher.

print. ² American  

abbreviation

1. printing.

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print British  

/ prɪnt /

verb

1. to reproduce (text, pictures, etc), esp in large numbers, by applying ink to paper or other material by one of various processes

2. to produce or reproduce (a manuscript, a book, data, etc) in print, as for publication

3. to write (letters, etc) in the style of printed matter

4. to mark or indent (a surface) by pressing (something) onto it

5. to produce a photographic print from (a negative)

6. (tr) to implant or fix in the mind or memory

7. (tr) to make (a mark or indentation) by applying pressure

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noun

1. printed matter such as newsprint

2. a printed publication such as a newspaper or book

3. 1. in printed or published form

   2. (of a book, etc) offered for sale by the publisher

4. no longer available from a publisher

5. a design or picture printed from an engraved plate, wood block, or other medium

6. printed text, esp with regard to the typeface used

   small print

7. a positive photographic image in colour or black and white produced, usually on paper, from a negative image on film Compare slide

8. 1. a fabric with a printed design

   2. ( as modifier )

      a print dress

9. 1. a mark or indentation made by pressing something onto a surface

   2. a stamp, die, etc, that makes such an impression

   3. the surface subjected to such an impression

10. See fingerprint

print More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing print

• go out (of print)
• in print
• small print

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Other Word Forms

• unprinted adjective
• well-printed adjective

Etymology

Origin of print

1250–1300; (noun) Middle English prent ( e ), print ( e ), prient ( e ) < Old French priente impression, print, noun use of feminine past participle of preindre to press ¹ < Latin premere; (v.) Middle English prenten, derivative of the noun

Explanation

Print is text, type, or writing — it's the words you write on paper or read in a book. If you print your name, you don’t write it in cursive. You write it so someone can actually read it. When something's "in print," it's been published. Another kind of print, besides text (letters, numbers, and characters), is the impression left by a finger (a fingerprint), a foot, or even an animal's paw. The verb to print means to write in clear, block letters, or to publish a copy of a book, newspaper, or magazine. If something's "out of print," it's hard to find because no one is publishing new copies of it.

Example Sentences

Appeared in the April 14, 2026, print edition as 'Why Aren’t Doctors Better With Words?'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Appeared in the April 13, 2026, print edition as 'Carlson Sets a Deal For a Books Imprint'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Appeared in the April 14, 2026, print edition as 'French Feasts of Color'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

And a former lion from Longleat is being immortalised by an inventor who has recreated her paw print in tyre form, which could help improve the grip of Nasa's rover vehicles that work on Mars.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

A gold ring floated in the darkness then knocked against Ferdie’s crib; an unseen hand left a print on his little pillow.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• book
• copy
• edition
• engraving
• lettering
• lithograph
• magazine
• newspaper
• photograph
• stamp
• type
• writing