MARK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Mark mean? 

• MARK (noun)
  The noun MARK has 15 senses:

1. a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)

2. a distinguishing symbol

3. a reference point to shoot at

4. a visible indication made on a surface

5. the impression created by doing something unusual or extraordinary that people notice and remember

6. a symbol of disgrace or infamy

7. formerly the basic unit of money in Germany

8. Apostle and companion of Saint Peter; assumed to be the author of the second Gospel

9. a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of

10. a written or printed symbol (as for punctuation)

11. a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)

12. the shortest of the four Gospels in the New Testament

13. an indication of damage

14. a marking that consists of lines that cross each other

15. something that exactly succeeds in achieving its goal

  Familiarity information: MARK used as a noun is familiar.

• MARK (verb)
  The verb MARK has 15 senses:

1. attach a tag or label to

2. designate as if by a mark

3. be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense

4. celebrate by some ceremony or observation

5. make or leave a mark on

6. to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful

7. notice or perceive

8. mark with a scar

9. make small marks into the surface of

10. establish as the highest level or best performance

11. make underscoring marks

12. remove from a list

13. put a check mark on or near or next to

14. assign a grade or rank to, according to one's evaluation

15. insert punctuation marks into

  Familiarity information: MARK used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MARK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

grade; mark; score

Context example:

what was your score on your homework?

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

evaluation; rating; valuation (an appraisal of the value of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mark"):

centile; percentile ((statistics) any of the 99 numbered points that divide an ordered set of scores into 100 parts each of which contains one-hundredth of the total)

grade point (a numerical value assigned to a letter grade received in a course taken at a college or university multiplied by the number of credit hours awarded for the course)

quartile ((statistics) any of three points that divide an ordered distribution into four parts each containing one quarter of the scores)

decile ((statistics) any of nine points that divided a distribution of ranked scores into equal intervals where each interval contains one-tenth of the scores)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A distinguishing symbol

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

mark; marker; marking

Context example:

the owner's mark was on all the sheep

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

symbol (an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mark"):

assay-mark; authentication; hallmark (a mark on an article of trade to indicate its origin and authenticity)

cairn (a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path)

label (an identifying or descriptive marker that is attached to an object)

pip; spot (a mark on a die or on a playing card (shape depending on the suit))

peg; pin (small markers inserted into a surface to mark scores or define locations etc.)

milepost; milestone (stone post at side of a road to show distances)

broad arrow (an arrowhead mark identifying British government property)

watermark (a distinguishing mark impressed on paper during manufacture; visible when paper is held up to the light)

postmark (a cancellation mark stamped on mail by postal officials; indicates the post office and date of mailing)

trademark (a formally registered symbol identifying the manufacturer or distributor of a product)

brand (identification mark on skin, made by burning)

earmark (identification mark on the ear of a domestic animal)

Derivation:

mark (make or leave a mark on)

mark (be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A reference point to shoot at

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

mark; target

Context example:

his arrow hit the mark

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

point of reference; reference; reference point (an indicator that orients you generally)

Meronyms (parts of "mark"):

bull; bull's eye (the center of a target)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mark"):

clout (a target used in archery)

drogue (a funnel-shaped device towed as a target by an airplane)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A visible indication made on a surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

mark; print

Context example:

paw prints were everywhere

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

indicant; indication (something that serves to indicate or suggest)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mark"):

stroke (a mark made on a surface by a pen, pencil, or paintbrush)

line (in games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area)

line (a mark that is long relative to its width)

hoof-mark; hoof mark; hoofprint (a visible impression on a surface made by the hoof of an animal)

mintmark (a mark on a coin that identifies the mint where it was produced)

trace (a visible mark (as a footprint) left by the passage of person or animal or vehicle)

footmark; footprint; step (a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface)

fingerprint (a print made by an impression of the ridges in the skin of a finger; often used for biometric identification in criminal investigations)

Derivation:

mark (make or leave a mark on)

mark (designate as if by a mark)

mark (make small marks into the surface of)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The impression created by doing something unusual or extraordinary that people notice and remember

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

he left an indelible mark on the American theater

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

effect; impression (an outward appearance)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A symbol of disgrace or infamy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

brand; mark; stain; stigma

Context example:

And the Lord set a mark upon Cain

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

symbol (an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mark"):

demerit (a mark against a person for misconduct or failure; usually given in school or armed forces)

bar sinister; bend sinister (a mark of bastardy; lines from top right to bottom left)

cloven foot; cloven hoof (the mark of Satan)

Derivation:

mark (to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Formerly the basic unit of money in Germany

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

Deutsche Mark; Deutschmark; German mark; mark

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

German monetary unit (monetary unit in Germany)

Meronyms (parts of "mark"):

pfennig (100 pfennigs formerly equaled 1 Deutsche Mark in Germany)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Apostle and companion of Saint Peter; assumed to be the author of the second Gospel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Mark; Saint Mark; St. Mark

Instance hypernyms:

Apostelic Father; Apostle (any important early teacher of Christianity or a Christian missionary to a people)

Evangelist ((when capitalized) any of the spiritual leaders who are assumed to be authors of the Gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

saint (a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

chump; fall guy; fool; gull; mark; mug; patsy; soft touch; sucker

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

dupe; victim (a person who is tricked or swindled)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A written or printed symbol (as for punctuation)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

his answer was just a punctuation mark

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

printed symbol; written symbol (a written or printed symbol)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mark"):

punctuation; punctuation mark (the marks used to clarify meaning by indicating separation of words into sentences and clauses and phrases)

head; point (a V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer)

dollar mark; dollar sign (a mark ($) written before a number to indicate that it stands for the number of dollars)

ditto; ditto mark (a mark used to indicate the word above it should be repeated)

diacritic; diacritical mark (a mark added to a letter to indicate a special pronunciation)

caret (a mark used by an author or editor to indicate where something is to be inserted into a text)

call mark; call number; pressmark (a mark consisting of characters written on a book; used to indicate shelf location)

broad arrow (a mark shaped like an arrowhead; used to mark convicts' clothing)

arrow; pointer (a mark to indicate a direction or relation)

check; check mark; tick (a mark indicating that something has been noted or completed etc.)

Derivation:

mark (make underscoring marks)

Sense 11

Meaning:

A perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

mark; sign

Context example:

they welcomed the signs of spring

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

clew; clue; cue (evidence that helps to solve a problem)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mark"):

token (something serving as a sign of something else)

Derivation:

mark (notice or perceive)

Sense 12

Meaning:

The shortest of the four Gospels in the New Testament

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

Gospel According to Mark; Mark

Instance hypernyms:

book (a major division of a long written composition)

evangel; Gospel; Gospels (the four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell the story of Christ's life and teachings)

Holonyms ("Mark" is a part of...):

New Testament (the collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ's death; the second half of the Christian Bible)

Sense 13

Meaning:

An indication of damage

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

mark; scar; scrape; scratch

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

blemish; defect; mar (a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body))

Derivation:

mark (mark with a scar)

Sense 14

Meaning:

A marking that consists of lines that cross each other

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

crisscross; cross; mark

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

marking (a pattern of marks)

Derivation:

mark (make underscoring marks)

mark (make small marks into the surface of)

Sense 15

Meaning:

Something that exactly succeeds in achieving its goal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

bell ringer; bull's eye; home run; mark

Context example:

the president's speech was a home run

Hypernyms ("mark" is a kind of...):

success (an attainment that is successful)

Domain usage:

figure; figure of speech; image; trope (language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense)

Derivation:

mark (establish as the highest level or best performance)

• MARK (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Attach a tag or label to

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

label; mark; tag

Context example:

label these bottles

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

attach (cause to be attached)

Verb group:

mark (make or leave a mark on)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

brand; brandmark; trademark (mark with a brand or trademark)

point (mark (a psalm text) to indicate the points at which the music changes)

point (mark with diacritics)

point (mark (Hebrew words) with diacritics)

calibrate (mark (the scale of a measuring instrument) so that it can be read in the desired units)

code (attach a code to)

badge (put a badge on)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something with something

Also:

mark down (reduce the price of)

mark up (increase the price of)

Derivation:

marking (a distinguishing symbol)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Designate as if by a mark

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

This sign marks the border

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

bespeak; betoken; indicate; point; signal (be a signal for or a symptom of)

Verb group:

differentiate; distinguish; mark (be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

blaze (indicate by marking trees with blazes)

buoy (mark with a buoy)

distinguish; signalise; signalize (make conspicuous or noteworthy)

dimension (indicate the dimensions on)

signpost (mark with a signpost, as of a path)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mark (a visible indication made on a surface)

marker (some conspicuous object used to distinguish or mark something)

marker (a writing implement for making a mark)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

differentiate; distinguish; mark

Context example:

His modesty distinguishes him from his peers

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

characterise; characterize; qualify (describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of)

Verb group:

mark (designate as if by a mark)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

characterise; characterize (be characteristic of)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mark; marker (a distinguishing symbol)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Celebrate by some ceremony or observation

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

commemorate; mark

Context example:

The citizens mark the anniversary of the revolution with a march and a parade

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

celebrate; keep; observe (behave as expected during of holidays or rites)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Make or leave a mark on

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

ash marked the believers' foreheads

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Verb group:

label; mark; tag (attach a tag or label to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

stigmatise; stigmatize (mark with a stigma or stigmata)

dot (mark with a dot)

brand (burn with a branding iron to indicate ownership; of animals)

post; stake (mark with a stake)

delineate; describe; draw; line; trace (make a mark or lines on a surface)

bespot (mark with, or as if with, spots)

speck (produce specks in or on)

stripe (mark with stripes)

underline; underscore (draw a line or lines underneath to call attention to)

tip (mark with a tip)

flag (provide with a flag)

asterisk; star (mark with an asterisk)

crisscross (mark with a pattern of crossing lines)

spot (mark with a spot or spots so as to allow easy recognition)

dimple (mark with, or as if with, dimples)

ink (mark, coat, cover, or stain with ink)

striate (mark with striae or striations)

raddle (mark or paint with raddle)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Also:

mark off; mark out (set boundaries to and delimit)

Derivation:

mark (a visible indication made on a surface)

mark (a distinguishing symbol)

marker (a writing implement for making a mark)

marking (the act of making a visible mark on a surface)

Sense 6

Meaning:

To accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

brand; denounce; mark; stigmatise; stigmatize

Context example:

She was stigmatized by society because she had a child out of wedlock

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

label (assign a label to; designate with a label)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

mark (a symbol of disgrace or infamy)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Notice or perceive

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

mark; note; notice

Context example:

mark my words

"Mark" entails doing...:

comprehend; perceive (to become aware of through the senses)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

take notice (observe with special attention)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

mark (a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened))

Sense 8

Meaning:

Mark with a scar

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

mark; pit; pock; scar

Context example:

The skin disease scarred his face permanently

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

blemish; deface; disfigure (mar or spoil the appearance of)

"Mark" entails doing...:

incise (make an incision into by carving or cutting)

Verb group:

mark; nock; score (make small marks into the surface of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

cicatrise; cicatrize (form a scar, after an injury)

pockmark (mark with or as if with pockmarks)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mark (an indication of damage)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Make small marks into the surface of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

mark; nock; score

Context example:

score the clay before firing it

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

notch (cut or make a notch into)

Verb group:

mark; pit; pock; scar (mark with a scar)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

scarify (scratch the surface of)

scotch (make a small cut or score into)

scribe (score a line on with a pointed instrument, as in metalworking)

line (mark with lines)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mark (a marking that consists of lines that cross each other)

mark (a visible indication made on a surface)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Establish as the highest level or best performance

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

mark; set

Context example:

set a record

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

establish; lay down; make (institute, enact, or establish)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mark (something that exactly succeeds in achieving its goal)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Make underscoring marks

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

mark; score

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

enter; put down; record (make a record of; set down in permanent form)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

cancel; invalidate (make invalid for use)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mark (a marking that consists of lines that cross each other)

mark (a written or printed symbol (as for punctuation))

marker (a writing implement for making a mark)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Remove from a list

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

cross off; cross out; mark; strike off; strike out

Context example:

Cross the name of the dead person off the list

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

take away; take out (take out or remove)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 13

Meaning:

Put a check mark on or near or next to

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

check; check off; mark; mark off; tick; tick off

Context example:

mark off the units

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

verify (confirm the truth of)

Verb group:

check; check into; check out; check over; check up on; go over; look into; suss out (examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition)

ascertain; assure; check; control; ensure; insure; see; see to it (be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

receipt (mark or stamp as paid)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 14

Meaning:

Assign a grade or rank to, according to one's evaluation

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

grade; mark; score

Context example:

mark homework

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

appraise; assess; evaluate; measure; valuate; value (evaluate or estimate the nature, quality, ability, extent, or significance of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

marking (evaluation of performance by assigning a grade or score)

Sense 15

Meaning:

Insert punctuation marks into

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

mark; punctuate

Hypernyms (to "mark" is one way to...):

add (make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mark"):

quote (put quote marks around)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

They found persons who took in a high-saturated fat diet and carried the APOA2 variant had a stronger epigenetic mark near APOA2.

(International Research Team Finds Correlation Between Genetics and Obesity Is Modified by Diet, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Various countries, including the United States, have seen marked increases in measles cases in recent years.

(Samoan government temporarily shuts down for nationwide measles vaccination drive, Wikinews)

The scar made by the hammer was, as usual in this excited state of her features, strongly marked.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Then he showed them the mark, and they knew that what he had said was true.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

The spacecraft's arrival at Ceres will mark the first time that a spacecraft has ever orbited two solar system targets.

(Dawn Spacecraft Begins Approach to Dwarf Planet Ceres, NASA)

They are marked on their outside surface with a variety of chemical groups.

(Scientists unravel the mystery of the tubulin code, NIH)

Researchers think the shredded star was a white dwarf - a hot, roughly Earth-sized stellar remnant marking the final state of stars like our Sun.

(Mysterious Blast Studied with NASA Telescopes, NASA)

I had now an opportunity of observing him, and found him of a very marked physiognomy.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Mars only arrives in Scorpio every two years, so this is a big moment, and in many ways will mark the most important time of the year for you.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

It was the menacing truce that marks the meeting of wild beasts that prey.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)