ink
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A particular type, color or container of this fluid.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ingkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɪŋk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
countable
A particular type, color or container of this fluid.
A liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
A pigment (or dye)-based fluid used for writing, printing etc.
The black or dark-colored fluid ejected by squid, octopus etc, as a protective strategy.
Dark protective fluid ejected into the water by cuttlefish and other cephalopods
verb
Fill with ink
Mark, coat, cover, or stain with ink
transitive
To apply ink to; to cover or smear with ink.
transitive
To apply a tattoo to (someone).
intransitiveof a squid or octopus
To eject ink (sense 3)
transitive
To sign (a contract or similar document).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A particular type, color or container of this fluid.
Used this way, ink is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use ink
- “The printer needs more ink to print the document.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.