# mark

Pronunciation: US say "MAHRK" /mɑɹk/; UK say "MAHK" /mɑːk/

## Verb

1. To put a mark, label, line, or symbol on something, or on a map or trail, to identify it or show where something is.
   - Simple: To write or draw a sign, label, or line on something so people can recognize it or find a place.
   - _Always mark a container of leftovers with the date before you put it in the freezer._
   - _She marked each crate with a stencil before it was shipped._
2. To serve as the moment or spot at which something happens, or to go along with or coincide with an event or action.
   - Simple: To be the time or place where something happens, or to happen at the same time as it.
   - _Many historians argue that the treaty and the riots that followed it mark the end of the old empire._
   - _Her first day at the new school marked the start of a difficult year for the whole family._
4. To serve as a sign of something or point out where it is.
   - Simple: To show that something is there, or to show where it is.
   - _A plaque marks the house where the poet was born._
   - _Tall posts mark the boundary between the two farms._
5. To celebrate or acknowledge an event by means of some action.
   - Simple: To do something special to celebrate or remember an event.
   - _The nation marks Independence Day with fireworks and parades._
   - _Colleagues gathered to mark her retirement after thirty years._
13. To be one of the features by which something is typically recognized; to characterize.
   - Simple: To be a typical sign or feature of something.
   - _Sharp instincts mark every great detective._
   - _The disorder is marked by sudden changes in mood._
15. To identify someone or something as a particular kind, or set them apart from others.
   - Simple: To show that someone is a certain kind of person, or to make them different from others.
   - _Her worn hiking boots and sunburned neck marked her as someone who spent weekends outdoors._
   - _Certain gestures mark a speaker as a longtime member of the community._
23. To cause lasting harm to someone or something.
   - Simple: To affect someone deeply in a bad way for a long time.
   - _Losing his father at such a young age marked him deeply, and he struggled with trust for years._
   - _Such early hardships can mark a child well into adulthood._
24. To heed or take careful notice of something or someone.
   - Simple: To pay attention to something or someone and take note of it.
   - _Mark how carefully she chooses each word._
   - _He bade them mark the warning signs before the storm._
26. When defending, to stay close to an opponent who does not have the ball so that the opponent cannot easily receive a pass.
   - Simple: In sports, to stay close to a player on the other team so they cannot easily get a pass.
   - _Our defenders have to mark their strikers tightly on every corner kick._
   - _Nobody was marking the tall forward, and he headed the cross straight into the net._
27. To check a school assignment or exam for correctness and assign it a score. *(Canada, UK)*
   - Simple: To check school work for mistakes and give it a score.
   - _Lecturers mark the scripts against a detailed rubric._
   - _Examiners marked the papers anonymously this term._
29. To keep account of something; to enumerate and register, or to keep score.
   - Simple: To keep count or a record of something, such as a score.
   - _She didn't feel like playing darts, so she spent the evening marking for the others and chalking up their scores._
   - _Someone has to mark while the rest of us play._
30. To pick out or destine a person for a particular end or purpose.
   - Simple: To choose a person for a certain purpose or future.
   - _The spy knew that once the regime decided to mark him for death, no border would keep him safe._
   - _From her first season, the club's coaches had marked her for the captaincy._
16. To create a visible mark, such as a line or stain, on a surface.
   - Simple: To make a spot, line, or stain on a surface.
   - _The movers dragged the heavy piano across the room and marked the new wooden floor in several places._
   - _With a thin stylus, mark a small cross in the soft clay before it dries._
17. To label or classify someone as belonging to a given category or class.
   - Simple: To place someone into a certain group or class.
   - _Because of one late payment years ago, the bank's computer had marked her as an unreliable borrower._
   - _After the first interview, recruiters mark each candidate as high, medium, or low priority._

## Noun

3. A visible impression or sign on a surface, such as a blemish, scratch, or stain, whether made by accident or on purpose.
   - Simple: A spot, line, or stain left on a surface.
   - _The movers left a long scratch mark across the polished floor._
   - _Inspectors noted every mark on the car's bodywork before the sale._
6. An indication or sign used as a point of reference or for measurement.
   - Simple: A sign or line used to show a point for measuring or finding your place.
   - _The water rose past the flood mark on the bridge support._
   - _Add water to the rice until it reaches the second mark inside the cooker's bowl._
7. An enduring impression or influence that someone or something leaves on a person, place, or field, heard in phrases such as leave a mark and make a mark.
   - Simple: An effect that someone or something has on a person, place, or kind of work that lasts a long time.
   - _Her research on sleep left a deep mark on the way doctors treat insomnia._
   - _The young senator is eager to make her mark before the next election._
8. A score awarded for a correct answer or other academic achievement, or the total of points gained out of a possible maximum.
   - Simple: A score given for a correct answer or for school work.
   - _Her essay earned the highest mark in the class._
   - _He needed seventy marks out of a hundred to pass._
9. A written character or sign, such as a letter, symbol, or piece of punctuation.
   - Simple: A written sign or symbol, such as a letter or a piece of punctuation.
   - _Diacritical marks above the letters change how they are pronounced._
   - _He placed a check mark beside each completed item._
10. A score or recorded result that reflects a sporting achievement.
   - Simple: A score or record that someone reaches in a sport or game.
   - _The sprinter's time matched the national mark._
   - _No swimmer had touched that mark in a decade._
11. A stamp or similar indication showing an item's origin, maker, or quality.
   - Simple: A stamp that shows where something was made or how good it is.
   - _Antique dealers check the silver's mark to confirm its origin._
   - _Each piece bears the assayer's mark guaranteeing its purity._
12. A sign or feature that shows the nature or presence of something.
   - Simple: A sign or quality that shows what someone or something is like, or that something is there.
   - _Compassion is the clearest mark of a good nurse._
   - _Bold flavors and generous portions have long been the mark of her cooking._
14. A limit or standard against which action or fact is measured.
   - Simple: A level or limit that sets the standard for what is good enough.
   - _The final product fell well below the mark set by the board._
   - _His comment about her weight overstepped the mark, and the whole room went quiet._
18. A particular design or model of a manufactured item, now usually specified with a following numeral.
   - Simple: A particular model or version of a made item, often shown with a number.
   - _Early marks of the tank broke down often, but later ones proved far more reliable in the field._
   - _Collectors pay far more for the Mark I than for any later version of the camera._
19. An object aimed at and shot at with a projectile such as an arrow or bullet.
   - Simple: Something you aim at and try to hit with an arrow or a shot.
   - _Every arrow struck the mark dead center._
   - _The gunner adjusted his aim until the shells found their mark._
20. The line that shows where an athlete starts, as at the beginning of a race.
   - Simple: The line where an athlete waits to start, for example at the beginning of a race.
   - _After the false start, the sprinters walked back to the mark and settled into their blocks again._
   - _The swimmers took their marks on the edge of the pool._
21. A gullible person chosen as the target or intended victim of a swindle or con game. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person who is easy to fool and is picked as the target of a cheating scheme.
   - _The grifters identified a lonely retiree as the perfect mark._
   - _Every good con depends on keeping the mark convinced until the final payout._
22. An official entry made in the record kept on a person's conduct or performance.
   - Simple: An official note added to a record about how someone behaves or performs.
   - _A single disciplinary mark stayed on her file for years._
   - _Missing the deadline left a black mark on his otherwise spotless employment record._
25. Any of several former currencies of Germany, including the Deutsche Mark of West and later unified Germany and the mark of East Germany.
   - Simple: A type of money once used in Germany before the euro.
   - _The shopkeeper counted out the change in marks and pfennigs._
   - _A liter of milk cost barely one mark in those days._
28. An emblem or badge that signifies honor, rank, or the holding of an office.
   - Simple: A badge or sign that shows a person's honor, rank, or official job.
   - _The sash he wore was a mark of his office._
   - _Knights bore special marks of honor on their shields._
31. A numbered level on the scale used to set the temperature of a gas oven. *(UK, Ireland)*
   - Simple: A number on a gas oven's dial that shows how hot the oven is set.
   - _Roast the chicken at mark 5, then turn the heat down for the last twenty minutes._
   - _Bake the pie at gas mark 6 for about forty minutes, until the crust is golden._
32. In rugby and Australian rules football, a clean catch made directly from a kick, untouched on the way, that earns the catcher a free kick.
   - Simple: In rugby and Australian football, a clean catch straight from a kick, which earns the catcher a free kick.
   - _The forward took a strong mark in front of goal and lined up his shot._
   - _Two contested marks late in the game swung the match their way._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The edge or line dividing one territory from another.
- (noun) A post, stake, or fence set up to show where a property or territory ends.
- (noun) A post or stone set by a road or path to show where one is and help people find their way.
- (noun) A small territory or minor princedom, often on a frontier, such as Brandenburg in medieval Germany.
- (noun) In early Germanic society, the shared fields and woods owned jointly by a village.
- (noun) A brand or sign set on a person's body, as a token of ownership, shame, or belonging.
- (noun) A likeness or image of something.
- (noun) The vulva.
- (noun) High rank or distinction, as in a family of great standing.
- (noun) A defining quality that sets one thing apart from others of its kind.
- (noun) One of the strips of leather or colored cloth tied at set fathom intervals along a sounding line to show depth.
- (noun) Heed or observation, as in a remark worthy of note.
- (noun) Distinction or importance, usually placed after a noun with "of" to describe a person of real standing.
- (noun) Esteem or high regard for someone.
- (noun) A wrestling fan who insists that professional matches are real contests and not staged, used mockingly.
- (verb) To notice something by seeing, hearing, or another sense.
- (verb) To keep someone in view, watching where they are.
- (verb) To enter in a record that someone is in some state, such as present or absent.
- (verb) In Australian rules football, to take a clean catch from a kick that has traveled at least 15 meters untouched, earning a free kick.
- (verb) In golf, to set down a small marker where one's ball lies before picking it up.
- (verb) In a rehearsal, to sing quietly, sometimes an octave down, to save one's voice.
- (noun) An old unit of weight equal to half a pound, about 227 grams.
- (noun) A comparable weight of about half a pound in other countries, used mostly to weigh precious metals.
- (noun) A former unit of account in England and Scotland worth 13 shillings and 4 pence, two-thirds of a pound, notionally a mark weight of silver.
- (noun) Various other old moneys valued, in theory, at a mark's weight of precious metal.
- (verb) A form of march used in spoken drill commands, as in "Quick, mark!"

## Origin

**Meanings 1–24, 26–32** — From Middle English mark, from Old English mearc ("mark, sign, boundary, limit, border, defined area"), going back through Proto-West Germanic *marku and Proto-Germanic *markō to Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs ("edge, boundary, border"). It is related to Latin margō ("edge, margin") and Sanskrit maryā ("limit, boundary").
**Meaning 25** — English took it from German Mark. Before that it was Middle High German marc, marche or marke and Old High German marc, which came from Proto-West Germanic *mark. That same root, through Old English marc, gave etymology 2. The plural, which is the same as the singular, also follows German.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mark (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).