transcribe
Americanverb (used with object)
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transcribes,
present (3rd person singular)
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transcribed,
past participle, past
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transcribing
present participle
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to make a written copy, especially a typewritten copy, of (dictated material, notes taken during a lecture, or other spoken material).
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to make an exact copy of (a document, text, etc.).
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to write out in another language or alphabet; translate or transliterate.
to transcribe Chinese into English characters.
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Phonetics. to represent (speech sounds) in written phonetic or phonemic symbols.
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Radio. to make a recording of (a program, announcement, etc.) for broadcasting.
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Music. to arrange (a composition) for a medium other than that for which it was originally written.
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Genetics. to effect genetic transcription of (a DNA molecule template).
verb
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to write, type, or print out fully from speech, notes, etc
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to make a phonetic transcription of
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to transliterate or translate
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to make an electrical recording of (a programme or speech) for a later broadcast
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music to rewrite (a piece of music) for an instrument or medium other than that originally intended; arrange
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computing
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to transfer (information) from one storage device, such as punched cards, to another, such as magnetic tape
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to transfer (information) from a computer to an external storage device
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(usually passive) biochem to convert the genetic information in (a strand of DNA) into a strand of RNA, esp messenger RNA See also genetic code translate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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transcribernoun
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mistranscribeverb (used with object)
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pretranscribeverb (used with object)
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retranscribeverb (used with object)
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nontranscribingadjective
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transcribableadjective
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untranscribedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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transcribesimple
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transcribessimple
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have transcribedperfect
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has transcribedperfect
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am transcribingprogressive
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are transcribingprogressive
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is transcribingprogressive
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have been transcribingperfect progressive
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has been transcribingperfect progressive
Past
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transcribedsimple
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had transcribedperfect
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was transcribingprogressive
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were transcribingprogressive
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had been transcribingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of transcribe
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin trānscrībere “to copy off,” literally, “to write across,” from trāns- trans- + scrībere “to write” ( see scribe 1)
Explanation
If someone asks you to transcribe something, they want you to listen to it and write down what was said, word for word. Speeches, interviews, and trials are often transcribed for records. From the Latin transcribere, which means “to copy, write over, or transfer,” the verb transcribe means just that: to write out a copy. You might want to transcribe a recording of an interview onto paper, or maybe you need to transcribe all the notes you collected from an important meeting. If you can remember that trans means “over” and that a scribe is a writer, you shouldn’t forget this word. Fun fact: to transcribe poorly is to transcribble.
Vocabulary lists containing transcribe
The Write Stuff: Scrib, Script
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"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan
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The Westing Game
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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:
One of its products, the Plaud Note, attaches to a smartphone and can record, transcribe and summarize phone conversations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have now shown that one of biology's most important enzymes can accurately read and transcribe a much larger version containing eight genetic letters.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026
People in tech use AI apps to record and transcribe meetings, workplace chats and even dates—all in the name of productivity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Grace Parsonage, English Heritage's assistant curator for the South East, said: "It's been a real treat to work through this remarkable collection, alongside our volunteers, to record and transcribe these messages from the past."
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
By a vote of 29 to 25 the House agreed to transcribe this verdict in the permanent record.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Founded in 2018, Abridge provides so-called ambient-listening tech, which tunes in to the exchanges between doctor and patient and then transcribes the conversations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Dr Mirsa-Sharp started using Heidi Health, a free AI-assisted medical transcription tool that listens and transcribes patient appointments, about four months ago and says it has made a big difference.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2025
A cell transcribes the ORF sequence into messenger RNA, which travels to cellular factories called ribosomes that assemble amino acid sequences into proteins.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 24, 2024
One component is the prime editor, which combines a SpCas9 protein, used in the first CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology, and a reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that transcribes RNA into DNA.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2024
The one transcribes, the other brings them to life, as it were.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Now it has become a museum called Trent Park House of Secrets, which highlights the role of the team of German speakers, most of them Jewish refugees, who transcribed titbits from the prisoners' bugged conversations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Mr. Ely provides a few sentences of transcribed testimony before analyzing the case’s factual details and deciphering any unusual language from the period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The full transcript of the judge's sentencing remarks, which reveal the complex sentencing exercise, were made publicly available after the BBC requested they be transcribed.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Comer’s spokesperson said Bondi was allowed to sit for a transcribed interview, rather than a deposition, because the former attorney general was “cooperative.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
"Let's get back to my apartment. It's time I transcribed those notes."
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
When the younger Sousa became its conductor at age 25, he recruited woodwinds to balance the blaring brass instruments, expanded its repertoire by transcribing symphonic works, and led meticulous rehearsals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Microsoft also unveiled other in-house models for generating images, transcribing audio, creating synthetic voices and coding.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
I make a lot of phone calls for stories, and meticulously transcribing those interviews has been the bane of my existence since I was in high school.
From Slate ● May 24, 2026
Teams have been creating high resolution images, transcribing the data and uploading it onto Kew's portal, which grants researchers worldwide remote access to the collection.
From BBC ● May 18, 2025
I occupied several hours transcribing these cries, partly because they were so colorful, partly to exercise my stenography.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
