conscript

1 of 3

noun

con·​script ˈkän-ˌskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
: a conscripted person (such as a military recruit)

conscript

2 of 3

adjective

con·​script ˈkän-ˌskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
1
: enrolled into service by compulsion : drafted
2
: made up of conscripted persons

conscript

3 of 3

verb

con·​script kən-ˈskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
conscripted; conscripting; conscripts

transitive verb

: to enroll into service by compulsion : draft
was conscripted into the army

Examples of conscript in a Sentence

Noun as the war continued, the body of enlisted soldiers was supplemented by an increasing number of conscripts Verb The government is conscripting men for the army. He was conscripted into the army.
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
Moscow says the conscripts will not be sent to Ukraine, but they have reportedly been sent to fight and die in Russia's border regions before. Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025 While the official stance is that conscripts are not sent to Ukraine, reports have surfaced of conscripts being pressured or misled into signing contracts that result in their deployment to the front lines in Ukraine. Anna Chernova and Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
How can the government collect taxes, for instance, or conscript soldiers or enforce the law, if people do not have last names? Nikil Saval, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025 Russia has reserves of conscript soldiers it is prohibited by its policies from deploying into Ukraine, but could on Russian soil. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Aug. 2024
Verb
The squad gave the soldiers the chance to join the resistance, but only a few among them did, mainly Czechs and Poles who had been conscripted by the Nazis. Malcolm Hillgartner Tanya Pérez Lance Neal, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 Copenhagen's current policy maintains that women can join the armed forces on a voluntary basis but will not be conscripted. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conscript

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of French conscrit, from Latin conscriptus, past participle of conscribere to enroll, enlist, from com- + scribere to write — more at scribe

First Known Use

Noun

1799, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conscript was in 1799

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conscript.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscript. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

conscript

1 of 3 adjective
con·​script ˈkän-ˌskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
1
: enrolled into service by force
2
: made up of conscripted persons

conscript

2 of 3 verb
con·​script kən-ˈskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
: to enroll into service by force : draft
was conscripted into the army
conscription
kən-ˈskrip-shən
noun

conscript

3 of 3 noun
con·​script ˈkän-ˌskript How to pronounce conscript (audio)
: a conscripted person (as a military recruit)

More from Merriam-Webster on conscript

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