print

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: a mark made by pressure : impression
b
: something impressed with a print or formed in a mold
2
a
: printed state or form
b
: the printing industry
3
b
prints plural : printed publications
4
: printed letters : type
5
a(1)
: a copy made by printing
(2)
: a reproduction of an original work of art (such as a painting) made by a photomechanical process
(3)
: an original work of art (such as a woodcut, etching, or lithograph) intended for graphic reproduction and produced by or under the supervision of the artist who designed it
b
: cloth with a pattern or figured design applied by printing
also : an article of such cloth
c
: a photographic or motion-picture copy
especially : one made from a negative

print

2 of 3

verb

printed; printing; prints

transitive verb

1
a
: to impress something in or on
b
: to stamp (something, such as a mark) in or on something
2
a
: to make a copy of by impressing paper against an inked printing surface
b(1)
: to impress (something, such as wallpaper) with a design or pattern
(2)
: to impress (a pattern or design) on something
c
: to publish in print
d
: print out
also : to display on a surface (such as a computer screen) for viewing
3
: to write in letters shaped like those of ordinary roman text type
4
: to make (a positive picture) on a sensitized photographic surface from a negative or a positive

intransitive verb

1
a
: to work as a printer
b
: to produce printed matter
2
: to produce something in printed form
3
: to write or hand-letter in imitation of unjoined printed characters

print

3 of 3

adjective

: of, relating to, or writing for printed publications
print journalists
Phrases
in print
: procurable from the publisher
out of print
: not procurable from the publisher

Examples of print in a Sentence

Noun What is the print size of your book? an exhibit of 16th-century German prints Verb We printed 50 invitations before we ran out of ink. The new machine prints 30 pages per minute. Your tickets are being printed now. a slogan printed on a bumper sticker Your tickets are printing now. This printer allows you to print on both sides of a sheet of paper. They printed 10,000 copies of the book's new edition. I'm surprised they printed that cartoon in the paper. Her picture was printed in a magazine last month.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Saint Laurent’s spring 2025 show nodded to the brand’s eponymous founder, with creative director Anthony Vaccarello sending slouchy suits and bohemian prints down the runway. Hannah Malach, WWD, 17 Dec. 2024 Petite Plume also sells silk pajama sets and nightshirts in whimsical prints, to make for a memorable gift. Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
To participate in the promotion, customers sign up with their Taco Bell Rewards email on the TerraCycle website, collect empty sauce containers, print a free label from TerraCycle and ship them out. Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024 For one of his last projects, in 2022, the octogenarian artist released a collection of NFTs, which buyers were invited to print for themselves. Glenn Adamson, ARTnews.com, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
In new research reported in a Feb. 1 paper published on the arXiv pre-print server, the team used data from NASA's inoperative Kepler spacecraft, its secondary mission K2 and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to identify K2-415b. Julia Musto, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2023 Working in the metaverse for an extended period of time can lead to higher anxiety, a perception of higher workloads, and even adverse physical effects for some employees, tech outlet New Scientist reported, citing a recent study published on pre-print database arXiv on June 8. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 21 June 2022 See all Example Sentences for print 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English prente, from Anglo-French, from preint, prient, past participle of priendre to press, from Latin premere — more at press

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of print was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near print

Cite this Entry

“Print.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/print. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

print

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a mark made by pressure
b
: something that has been stamped with an impression or formed in a mold
a print of butter
2
a
: printed state or form
put a manuscript into print
b
: printed matter
c
: printed letters
3
: a picture, copy, or design made by printing (as from an engraving or a photographic negative)
4
a
: cloth with a printed pattern
b
: an article of such cloth

print

2 of 2 verb
1
: to put or stamp something in or on
2
a
: to make a copy of by pressing paper against an inked surface (as type or an engraving)
b
: to stamp with a design by pressure
print wallpaper
c
: to publish in printed form
print a newspaper
d
: to write or cause to be written on a surface (as a computer display screen) for viewing
the computer will print the message at the top of the screen
e
3
: to write in separate letters like those made by a typewriter
4
: to make a picture from a photographic negative

More from Merriam-Webster on print

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