1
as in etching
to cut (as letters or designs) on a hard surface
incised a pattern into the copper plate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in slicing
to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife)
incised the tree with a sharp ax to get the sap flowing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incising
Verb
-
Construction in the Arizona desert damaged an enormous Indigenous ground etching resembling a fish that is thought to be at least 1,000 years old.—
Jake Spring,
Washington Post,
1 May 2026 -
After go-ahead shots in the final minute of back-to-back games, McCollum is etching his name in Knicks history as a name to cause trauma to fans.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Let cakes stand in their pans for about 5 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack, peel off parchment paper and let cool completely before slicing.—
Gretchen McKay,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Quigley snapped a long string of zeroes on the scoreboard, slicing a two-out, walk-off single to right field to score Abby Zawadzki from second base for the North Stars (8-0, 2-0).—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Like inscribing shell casings, communicating messages in connection with high-profile acts of violence has a long history.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The prosecutor said Tran tried to take his own life by slitting a wrist, cutting his neck and poking a blade into his stomach.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
5 Mar. 2026
-
When Rochelle Luna, 18, arrived at the house hours later, Djerf bound, gagged and raped her before stabbing her and slitting her throat, court records said.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Lakers, Clippers and Golden State have joined the Heat in intentionally carving out enough cap space to sign a max free agent in 2027.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Casemiro improves the players around him while still carving out time to throw opponents off-balance.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With two outs and Andruw Monasterio at second following a double, the slumping Caleb Durbin came up with one of his biggest hits of the season, ripping an RBI double to put the Red Sox ahead.—
Mac Cerullo,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Images of the fire showed flames ripping through the building as firefighters carried out an exterior attack to extinguish the blaze.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Lubeck’s distinctive style—marked by one-of-a-kind antique stones and intricate hand-engraving work—caught Swift’s eye.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Less than six months after Cesar Chavez died, his family members were in Santa Ana engraving their names in cement during a groundbreaking for Cesar Chavez Continuation High School.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Vesia surrendered a two-run triple to Swanson and an RBI single to Nico Hoerner, cutting the Dodgers’ lead to one.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Part of that includes 'cutting the pond' using machinery to dig through the sand and allow water to flow in and out.—
Jacob Wycoff,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Incising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incising. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
