Definition of "ingrain" [in•grain]

• To fix deeply or indelibly, as in the mind: "A system that had been ingrained for generations could not be easily undone by change from the top” ( Doris Kearns Goodwin). (verb-transitive)
• Archaic To dye or stain into the fiber of. (verb-transitive)
• Deep-seated; ingrained. (adjective)
• Made of predyed fibers; thoroughly dyed: ingrain yarn. (adjective)
• Made of fiber or yarn dyed before weaving. Used especially of rugs. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Almost the best of modern inventions for inexpensive wall-coverings are found in what are called the ingrain papers."
• "She did not loathe the shiny "quartered oak" dining-room pieces -- her father's venture in an opulent moment -- nor the dingy pine bedroom sets, nor even the worn "ingrain" carpets, as she did these precious relics of her grandmother's home."
• "He's got to "ingrain" a different technique so that it's second nature and that can only come by consistently playing attacking tennis in all his matches."