text

1 of 2

noun

ˈtekst

Synonyms of text next

a(1)

: the original words and form of a written or printed work

(2)

: an edited or emended copy of an original work

: a work containing such text

: the main body of printed or written matter on a page

: the principal part of a book exclusive of front and back matter

: the printed score of a musical composition

a(1)

: a verse or passage of Scripture chosen especially for the subject of a sermon or for authoritative support (as for a doctrine)

(2)

: a passage from an authoritative source providing an introduction or basis (as for a speech)

: a source of information or authority

: theme, topic

: the words of something (such as a poem) set to music

: matter chiefly in the form of words or symbols that is treated as data for processing by computerized equipment

text-editing software

: a type suitable for printing running text

: textbook

: something (such as a story or movie) considered as an object to be examined, explicated, or deconstructed

: something likened to a text

the surfaces of daily life are texts to be explicated—

Michiko Kakutani

: frame of reference sense 2

updated to fit the women's lib text for consciousness raising—

Judith Crist

: text message

sent a text with the details

text

2 of 2

verb

texted ˈtek-stəd

nonstandard ˈtekst

; texting

transitive verb

: to send a text message from one cell phone to another

intransitive verb

: to communicate by text messaging

texter noun

Example Sentences

Noun A good critic will refer back to the text often. You can find the full text of his speech on his website. the text of the Constitution The book is mostly photographs—it has very little text. At this point the website is only text. Graphics will be added later. Students will read and discuss various literary texts. Verb I texted her a little while ago. I texted a message to her. She just texted me back. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An ethnomusicologist who rounded up a collection of Lalo Guerrero songs, snippets of which found their way into the text. —

Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2023 The deal also includes some agreements not clearly included in the 99 pages of bill text. —

Chris Cameron, BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2023 Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) office released the full text of the compromise debt ceiling bill late Sunday, teeing up a likely Wednesday vote on its passage. —

Ryan King, Washington Examiner, 28 May 2023 The piece is composed by Dan Forrest and conducted by Dr. Joe Stanford and John Nettles, and features the Center Chorale, the Pacific Coast Chorale and the Center Children’s Chorus singing Forrest’s work, based on texts centered around the spirit of Psalm 100 in seven languages. —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2023 One source said the negotiating team is now working on finalizing bill text and a term sheet. —

Rachel Scott, ABC News, 27 May 2023 Catch up on more text slang explainers: What does 'IMO' mean? —

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 27 May 2023 Lastly, avoid clicking on suspicious links in texts or emails. —

Anna Werner Wernera@cbsnews.com, CBS News, 26 May 2023 The tool allows users to add or remove elements from images using a simple text prompt, while automatically matching the lighting and style of the existing image. —

Byjeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 May 2023

Verb

Stormy continued to text. —

Alana Evans, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2023 That you’re only supposed to text? —

Judith Martin, oregonlive, 27 Feb. 2023 To ensure your privacy and remove (or at least lessen) the possibility of someone sharing your intimate message or nude, don’t text them. —

Leah Campano, Seventeen, 7 Apr. 2023 Students can text their families during lockdowns, whereas in the past parents may not have found out about a threat until after it had been resolved. —

Deanna Pan, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Mar. 2023 His mother did not text back that day and was riding horses with James at the time, according to the opinion. —

Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 23 Mar. 2023 Never share your password or codes: Facebook will never text, email or call you to ask for your log-in information or the two-factor authentication code. —

Heather Kelly, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023 Walker and Jabari text me a lot. —

Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 15 Mar. 2023 Now, teenagers text with their friends and make TikTok videos. —

Hannah Frystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'text.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French tiste, texte, from Medieval Latin textus, from Latin, texture, context, from texere to weave — more at technical

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1998, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of text was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century