printing

noun

print·​ing ˈprin-tiŋ How to pronounce printing (audio)
Synonyms of printingnext
1
: the act or product of one that prints
2
: reproduction in printed form
3
: the art, practice, or business of a printer
4
: impression sense 7a
5
printings plural : paper to be printed on

Examples of printing in a Sentence

The book is already in its second printing, and a third printing is scheduled for later this year. The book has had two printings of 100,000 copies each. Her printing is very neat.
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.
Michaels now offers more fine art printing sizes than ever, starting at 4 x 4 and going up to 16 x 20. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 June 2026 But while those other manuals for the mind became bestsellers, The Backpacker never saw a second printing. — Literary Hub, 29 June 2026 It was made using a 3D printing technique in which a liquid resin solidifies instantly when exposed to UV laser light. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026 Origami, the Japanese art of folding flat sheets of paper into three-dimensional figures, is the creative spark behind a new hybrid 3D printing technique. — Shirl Leigh june 27, New Atlas, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for printing

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Phrases Containing printing

Rhymes for printing

See All Rhymes for printing

Browse Nearby Words

printhead
printing
printing frame
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Printing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/printing. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

printing

noun
print·​ing ˈprint-iŋ How to pronounce printing (audio)
1
: the process of putting something in printed form
2
: the art or business of a printer
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All