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con·script
ˈkän-ˌskript 
con·script
kən-ˈskript
conscripted; conscripting; conscripts
: to enroll into service by compulsion : draft
Synonyms
Example Sentences
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
Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2022
Nawi isn’t a conscript; as Nanisca makes clear, joining the Agojie is a choice.
Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
Marc Santora, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2022
The Cold War-era law lets the federal government conscript private businesses to produce goods for national defense and to reorder supply chains, putting some customers ahead of others.
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 19 May 2022
Morale is perhaps the largest issue, with conscript troops abandoning vehicles and vanishing into forests.
Benjamin H. Friedman, The Week, 20 Mar. 2022
The gang is known to forcibly conscript migrants as mules—and sometimes dispose of them.
Jason Motlagh, Outside Online, 19 July 2016
Russia’s failure to secure a quick victory supports research showing that conscript armies are worse at fighting wars than professional militaries staffed with volunteers.
Max Z. Margulies And Laura Resnick Samotin, WSJ, 5 May 2022
Zelensky, in an overnight address over the weekend, accused the Kremlin of cynically preparing conscript soldiers as cannon fodder for the next phase of fighting in the east.
Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2022
Opposition to the first war in Chechnya in the mid-1990s was spurred by Russian families angry that their conscript sons were being used as cannon fodder.
New York Times, 21 Apr. 2022
History records tales of undersupplied Russian conscript soldiers, high inflation and industrial breakdowns during wartime, and tyrants surrounded by flatterers.
Peter Landers And Alastair Gale, WSJ, 19 Mar. 2022
Justin Klawans, The Week, 6 Nov. 2022
That the Russian government is now attempting to conscript men with little to no military experience also doesn’t bode well.
Yasmeen Serhan, Time, 29 Sep. 2022
Putin on Wednesday announced a partial mobilization expected to conscript 300,000 Russian reservists to the fight after Ukraine recaptured parts of the Kharkiv region earlier this month, making a potential turning point in the conflict.
Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2022
Directors often make films about surrogates for themselves — exacting visionaries who conscript others into the realization of their fantasies.
New York Times, 20 July 2022
Despite its ability to conscript women for military service during wartime, Malyar said that not a single woman had been forcibly mobilized since 2014.
Caitlin Mcfall, Fox News, 9 July 2022
Russia is also conducting its spring draft, which seeks to conscript about 130,000 men between 18 and 27 by mid-July.
Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 16 June 2022
Pro-Russian separatists stop buses filled with fleeing citizens and either steal their food, conscript them into fighting or worse.
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his government was trying to verify the exact number of citizens who had been forcibly deported, alleging that Russia was trying to forcibly conscript many into its army.
NBC News, 25 Mar. 2022
See More
Noun
According to the Daily Mail, Peskov junior is a former conscript in Russia’s nuclear rocket forces and would therefore be a leading candidate for conscription.
Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2022
Nawi isn’t a conscript; as Nanisca makes clear, joining the Agojie is a choice.
Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
On Sunday, a user of the social-media platform VKontakte said the ship’s commanders told him that his son Yegor, a conscript, was among those missing in the tragedy.
Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2022
Adjective
Still, Russia’s proxy leaders there have had to forcibly conscript soldiers as casualties have risen.
Marc Santora, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2022
The Cold War-era law lets the federal government conscript private businesses to produce goods for national defense and to reorder supply chains, putting some customers ahead of others.
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 19 May 2022
Morale is perhaps the largest issue, with conscript troops abandoning vehicles and vanishing into forests.
Benjamin H. Friedman, The Week, 20 Mar. 2022
The gang is known to forcibly conscript migrants as mules—and sometimes dispose of them.
Jason Motlagh, Outside Online, 19 July 2016
Russia’s failure to secure a quick victory supports research showing that conscript armies are worse at fighting wars than professional militaries staffed with volunteers.
Max Z. Margulies And Laura Resnick Samotin, WSJ, 5 May 2022
Zelensky, in an overnight address over the weekend, accused the Kremlin of cynically preparing conscript soldiers as cannon fodder for the next phase of fighting in the east.
Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2022
Opposition to the first war in Chechnya in the mid-1990s was spurred by Russian families angry that their conscript sons were being used as cannon fodder.
New York Times, 21 Apr. 2022
History records tales of undersupplied Russian conscript soldiers, high inflation and industrial breakdowns during wartime, and tyrants surrounded by flatterers.
Peter Landers And Alastair Gale, WSJ, 19 Mar. 2022
Verb
Putin's actions now allow Russia to conscript potentially hundreds more citizens who were previously forbidden from serving in the military due to outstanding convictions.
Justin Klawans, The Week, 6 Nov. 2022
That the Russian government is now attempting to conscript men with little to no military experience also doesn’t bode well.
Yasmeen Serhan, Time, 29 Sep. 2022
Putin on Wednesday announced a partial mobilization expected to conscript 300,000 Russian reservists to the fight after Ukraine recaptured parts of the Kharkiv region earlier this month, making a potential turning point in the conflict.
Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2022
Directors often make films about surrogates for themselves — exacting visionaries who conscript others into the realization of their fantasies.
New York Times, 20 July 2022
Despite its ability to conscript women for military service during wartime, Malyar said that not a single woman had been forcibly mobilized since 2014.
Caitlin Mcfall, Fox News, 9 July 2022
Russia is also conducting its spring draft, which seeks to conscript about 130,000 men between 18 and 27 by mid-July.
Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 16 June 2022
Pro-Russian separatists stop buses filled with fleeing citizens and either steal their food, conscript them into fighting or worse.
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his government was trying to verify the exact number of citizens who had been forcibly deported, alleging that Russia was trying to forcibly conscript many into its army.
NBC News, 25 Mar. 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conscript.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Dictionary Entries Near conscript
Cite this Entry
“Conscript.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscript. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.
Kids Definition
conscript
1 of 3 adjective
con·script
ˈkän-ˌskript
conscript
2 of 3 verb
con·script
kən-ˈskript
: to enroll into service by force : draft
conscription
noun
kən-ˈskrip-shən
conscript
3 of 3 noun
con·script
ˈkän-ˌskript
: a conscripted person (as a military recruit)
More from Merriam-Webster on conscript
Nglish: Translation of conscript for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of conscript for Arabic Speakers
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