insert
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put or place in.
to insert a key in a lock.
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to introduce or cause to be introduced into the body of something.
to insert an extra paragraph in an article.
noun
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something inserted or to be inserted.
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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.
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any small picture, device, etc., surrounded partly or completely by body type.
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a paper, circular, etc., placed within the folds of a newspaper or the leaves of a book, periodical, etc.
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Movies, Radio and Television. cut-in
verb
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to put in or between; introduce
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to introduce, as into text, such as a newspaper; interpolate
noun
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something inserted
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a folded section placed in another for binding in with a book
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a printed sheet, esp one bearing advertising, placed loose between the leaves of a book, periodical, etc
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another word for cut in
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insert
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin insertus, past participle of inserere “to put in, insert,” equivalent to in- “in” + ser- (stem of serere “to link together”) + -tus past participle suffix; see in- 2
Explanation
When you insert something or someone, you put it into something else. You could insert yourself into a conversation, or you could insert a comma into the sentence you just wrote. The verb insert comes from the Latin in-, meaning “into,” and serere, meaning "to join." When you insert yourself into a conversation, you’re joining in, whether your friends want you to or not. Insert can also mean to fit snugly into, or to tuck. You might fit a card into an envelope that fits it perfectly, or insert first one leg and then another into a pair of tights.
Vocabulary lists containing insert
STAAR English I: The Language of the Test 1
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STAAR English II: The Language of the Test 1
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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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.
She had a difficult time controlling her temper, exulted in being the center of attention, and alienated influential men in Washington by her efforts to insert herself into policymaking.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
They’d rather stand up and insert a tape into a deck.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
Swan, herself no stranger to the wellness-podcast circuit, was careful to insert the caveat that the film is “not a quote-unquote ‘scientific study.’
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026
If his defining characteristic weren’t competence, Piggy could easily insert him into a cover of “Manchild” instead of duetting with Carpenter in a performance of “Islands in the Stream.”
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026
Just like in our room, where a window should be on the outer wall, a metal insert obscures the view outside to the stars, and maybe my first view of Sagan.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
