insert
Americanverb (used with object)
-
inserts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
inserted,
past participle, past
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inserting
present participle
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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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inserts
plural
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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
-
something inserted
-
-
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
-
-
another word for cut in
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inserternoun
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interinsertverb (used with object)
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preinsertverb (used with object)
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reinsertverb (used with object)
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subinsertverb (used with object)
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insertableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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insertsimple
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insertssimple
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have insertedperfect
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has insertedperfect
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am insertingprogressive
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are insertingprogressive
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is insertingprogressive
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have been insertingperfect progressive
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has been insertingperfect progressive
Past
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insertedsimple
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had insertedperfect
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was insertingprogressive
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were insertingprogressive
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had been insertingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Already, the company is training providers to insert and remove the device through a special FDA-required program known as a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
While these intuitions are attempting to insert women into the male-dominated picture of the Viking age, descriptions of women’s lives and their social or cultural influence tend to be limited.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
The following year, Steinem, with several other feminist journalists, founded Ms. Its first, tentative edition, a 40-page insert into New York magazine, sold out in eight days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
It has invested in Italian company D-Orbit, which offers services to insert satellites into orbit, and Skeleton, an Estonian maker of energy-storage devices designed for fast charging and discharging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Sailors could insert coins or bronze mirrors into these holes as part of their prayers for a safe voyage.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
During the procedure, an interventional radiologist inserts a thin catheter into an artery and carefully guides it toward the affected blood vessels.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
Bolstered by Katelin Arizmendi’s humid cinematography and Son Lux’s anxiety-inducing electronic score, Tariq inserts subtle reminders that this hit man lives in an America that is openly hostile to Muslims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Three letters to describe a cord that our puzzle writer always inserts the wrong way?
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
In between the book’s linked stories, Ms. Daanje inserts excerpts from those scant archives—Millicent’s letters, the poems and cryptic jottings from Eliza May’s notebooks—as well as passages from various later biographies of the Draydens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
She inserts her chimp’s feet through the trousers of my legs.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
But of course Musk inserted himself into the conversation simply by expressing a positive view in public.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The goal, Kao said, was to make sure that the House draft of the budget “mirrored” whatever Graham inserted in the Senate version.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Prosecutors say the device, wrapped in toilet paper, was found inserted in a USB port on the back of a TV in an executive conference room.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
To accomplish this, the researchers inserted a redesigned recording sequence, which they call a tape, into the genome of a fertilized mouse egg.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
She pushed the keyhole cover to the side, inserted the key, and turned it left three times.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Why are the people inserting the catheter wearing white coats?
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
There is even AI that will make such papers look student written by inserting a few errors or current slang terms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The surgery involved inserting an endoscope - a thin camera on a stick - via the nose to the base of the skull.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Spend enough years standing behind pyramids of hamburgers, posing at fry stations and inserting yourself into the iconography of American restaurant chains, and eventually the props begin to accrue meanings of their own.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
She managed the soldier in white by inserting a thermometer into the hole over his mouth and leaving it balanced there on the lower rim.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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