transcribe
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
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
For around 15 years, the researcher has worked with students on a project to transcribe music broadcast by television and radio or on vinyl.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Kaiser already uses AI software to transcribe conversations and take notes between healthcare workers and patients, but therapists have privacy concerns about recording highly sensitive remarks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
These digital tools transcribe and summarize your doctor visit into notes—sometimes recording and storing the audio in the process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
“Later this evening, transcribe it for better understanding.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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
He transcribes the stories of other rêveurs to include in his writings.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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
For one, the former attorney general will not be under oath in a sworn deposition but will provide a transcribed interview, which is voluntary.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
But the first time I transcribed an interview I’d conducted with my breathy, inconsistent voice, I felt like one giant cringe.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
Her name wasn’t Dido but Elishat, transcribed by the ancient Greeks as Elissa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
I could simply lie to Falconer, assure him that I'd transcribed the entire performance.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Microsoft also unveiled other in-house models for generating images, transcribing audio, creating synthetic voices and coding.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Google is rolling out an AI model to its smart speakers and the Gemini app that understands spoken audio without first transcribing it into text.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 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
Speech-to-text programs are becoming more popular for everyday tasks like hands-free dictation, helping people who are visually impaired, and transcribing speech for those who are hard of hearing.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2024
I was so intent on transcribing correctly and speedily that I'd paid no attention to the sense of the words.
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.
