transcribe

American  

[tran-skrahyb] / trænˈskraɪb /

verb (used with object)

transcribed, transcribing

1. to make a written copy, especially a typewritten copy, of (dictated material, notes taken during a lecture, or other spoken material).

2. to make an exact copy of (a document, text, etc.).

3. to write out in another language or alphabet; translate or transliterate.

   to transcribe Chinese into English characters.

4. Phonetics. to represent (speech sounds) in written phonetic or phonemic symbols.

5. Radio. to make a recording of (a program, announcement, etc.) for broadcasting.

6. Music. to arrange (a composition) for a medium other than that for which it was originally written.

7. Genetics. to effect genetic transcription of (a DNA molecule template).

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transcribe British  

/ trænˈskraɪb /

verb

1. to write, type, or print out fully from speech, notes, etc

2. to make a phonetic transcription of

3. to transliterate or translate

4. to make an electrical recording of (a programme or speech) for a later broadcast

5. music to rewrite (a piece of music) for an instrument or medium other than that originally intended; arrange

6. computing

   1. to transfer (information) from one storage device, such as punched cards, to another, such as magnetic tape

   2. to transfer (information) from a computer to an external storage device

7. (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

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Other Word Forms

• mistranscribe verb (used with object)
• nontranscribing adjective
• pretranscribe verb (used with object)
• retranscribe verb (used with object)
• transcribable adjective
• transcriber noun
• untranscribed adjective

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” ( scribe ¹ )

Example Sentences

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

She started using AI in 2024 to transcribe and summarize her patients’ visits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

There she would paraphrase and transcribe already-decoded Japanese messages.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2025

"They start to transcribe from different sites, potentially contributing to their functional divergence."

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2024

I was to keep his scientific notes for him, and to transcribe his weekly sermons.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

Related Words

• decipher
• duplicate
• interpret
• reprint
• reproduce
• rewrite
• translate
• write out