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” ( 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.

Example Sentences

But the technology saves her time by helping her transcribe meeting minutes, and fast-tracking her legal research, for example.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 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

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

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2025

I would have pleaded illness, but I knew that Falconer would brook no excuse short of my writing hand being lopped off—and even then he would probably insist that I transcribe left-handed.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

Related Words

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