Register

/ˈɹɛd͡ʒ.ɪ.stə/ name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A formal recording of names, events, transactions, etc.
  • Grammar: register is listed as name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: enlist, a book, acc, accord.
  • Useful contrasts: uncatalogued, unmapped, unregistered.
  • Usage evidence: Hunger compelled the boy to steal money from the cash register.

How to use "register"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "register" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "register" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "register" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "register" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "register" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "enlist" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "register", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A formal recording of names, events, transactions, etc.

    "The teacher took the register by calling out each child's name."

  2. 2
    a cashbox with an adding machine to register transactions; used in shops to add up the bill wordnet
  3. 3
    A book of such entries.

    "As you have one eye upon my follies, […] turn another into the register of your own."

  4. 4
    a regulator (as a sliding plate) for regulating the flow of air into a furnace or other heating device wordnet
  5. 5
    An entry in such a book.
Show 20 more definitions
  1. 6
    an air passage (usually in the floor or a wall of a room) for admitting or excluding heated air from the room wordnet
  2. 7
    The act of registering.
  3. 8
    (computer science) memory device that is the part of computer memory that has a specific address and that is used to hold information of a specific kind wordnet
  4. 9
    A certificate issued by the collector of customs of a port or district to the owner of a vessel, containing the description of a vessel, its name, ownership, and other material facts. It is kept on board the vessel, to be used as evidence of nationality or as a muniment of title.
  5. 10
    (music) the timbre that is characteristic of a certain range and manner of production of the human voice or of different pipe organ stops or of different musical instruments wordnet
  6. 11
    One who registers or records; a registrar; especially, a public officer charged with the duty of recording certain transactions or events.

    "a register of deeds"

  7. 12
    an official written record of names or events or transactions wordnet
  8. 13
    A distinct horizontal (or, more rarely, vertical) section of a work of art or inscription that is divided into several such sections.

    "The division of the field into an upper and lower register, with decorative motifs in the upper register and a scene with figures in the lower register, as here, is, as has been mentioned, characteristic of Syrian seals from the early second millennium."

  9. 14
    a book in which names and transactions are listed wordnet
  10. 15
    A device that automatically records a quantity.
  11. 16
    The part of a telegraphic apparatus that automatically records the message received.
  12. 17
    A list of received calls in a phone set.
  13. 18
    A small unit of very fast memory that is directly accessible to the central processing unit, and is mostly used to store inputs, outputs, or intermediate results of computations.

    "When the microprocessor decodes the JSR opcode, it stores the operand into the TEMP register and pushes the current contents of the PC ($00 0128) onto the stack."

  14. 19
    The exact alignment of lines, margins, and colors.
  15. 20
    The inner part of the mould in which types are cast.
  16. 21
    The range of a voice or instrument.
  17. 22
    An organ stop.
  18. 23
    A style of a language used in a particular context.

    "We rewrote certain communications templates to use a more formal register."

  19. 24
    A grille at the outflow of a ventilation duct, capable of being opened and closed to direct the air flow.

    "No. 1 chamber, 1 8x12 side wall register for warm air. No. 2 chamber, 1 8x12 side wall register for warm air."

  20. 25
    Ellipsis of cash register. US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Verb
  1. 1
    To enter in a register; to enlist. transitive
  2. 2
    enter into someone's consciousness wordnet
  3. 3
    To sign-up, especially to vote. transitive

    "I am running for President to take this country in a new direction. But I can’t do it alone. I need you. Whether it’s the first time, or the first time in a long time, I need you to register and vote on November 4th."

  4. 4
    indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments wordnet
  5. 5
    To record, especially in writing. transitive

    "Tottenham, who lost William Gallas to injury before the end, struggled to find any sort of response and did not register a single shot on target."

Show 18 more definitions
  1. 6
    record in a public office or in a court of law wordnet
  2. 7
    To buy the full version of trial software by providing one's details and payment. ambitransitive

    "This is a trial version, and will expire in 30 days. Please register!"

  3. 8
    send by registered mail wordnet
  4. 9
    To express outward signs. transitive

    "Members of Boston's lesbian and gay community participated in the protest to register anger at the hotel's exploitative treatment of women workers."

  5. 10
    manipulate the registers of an organ wordnet
  6. 11
    To record officially and handle specially. transitive
  7. 12
    be aware of wordnet
  8. 13
    To make or adjust so as to be properly or precisely aligned. especially, transitive
  9. 14
    show in one's face wordnet
  10. 15
    To place one's name, or have one's name placed in a register. intransitive

    "They registered for school."

  11. 16
    enroll to vote wordnet
  12. 17
    To make an impression. intransitive

    "You’re not listening. You’ve gone off inside your head on one of your riffs and the plain fact that your son is ill hasn’t even registered. The plain fact that I have to wake up every morning and listen to him asking—unbearably asking—why his father isn’t home hasn’t registered."

  13. 18
    record in writing; enter into a book of names or events or transactions wordnet
  14. 19
    To be in proper alignment; to align or correspond exactly. intransitive

    "The slightly smaller hind print may overlap but seldom registers precisely in the front track."

  15. 20
    have one's name listed as a candidate for several parties wordnet
  16. 21
    To voluntarily sign over for safe keeping, abandoning complete ownership for partial.
  17. 22
    To perceive or comprehend; pick up on. transitive

    "I did not register that look to mean anything more than an innocent, friendly smile."

  18. 23
    To occur; become realised or noticed; dawn on. intransitive

    "It did not register with me at the time that he'd end up betraying me, making off with all my savings."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
enlista bookaccaccordaccountaccount book

Example

"Hunger compelled the boy to steal money from the cash register."

Common questions

What does "register" mean?

A formal recording of names, events, transactions, etc.

What is a synonym for "register"?

Common synonyms include: enlist, a book, acc, accord, account, account book.

How do you use "register" in a sentence?

Hunger compelled the boy to steal money from the cash register.

How do you pronounce "register"?

Pronounced /ˈɹɛd͡ʒ.ɪ.stə/.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin registrum, from Late Latin regesta (“list, items recorded”), from Latin regerō (“to record, to carry back”), from re- + gerō (“to carry, bear”). Compare Latin registoria (“a treasurer”). Some senses influenced by association with unrelated Latin regō (“to rule”).

More for "register"

Synonyms

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