mark (marks plural & 3rd person present) (marking present participle) (marked past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A mark is a small area of something such as dirt that has accidentally got onto a surface or piece of clothing.
The dogs are always rubbing against the wall and making dirty marks...
2 verb If something marks a surface, or if the surface marks, the surface is damaged by marks or a mark.
Leather overshoes were put on the horses' hooves to stop them marking the turf... V n
3 n-count A mark is a written or printed symbol, for example a letter of the alphabet.
He made marks with a pencil.
4 verb If you mark something with a particular word or symbol, you write that word or symbol on it.
The bank marks the check `certified'... V n quote
5 n-count A mark is a point that is given for a correct answer or for doing something well in an exam or competition. A mark can also be a written symbol such as a letter that indicates how good a student's or competitor's work or performance is.
...a simple scoring device of marks out of 10, where `1' equates to `Very poor performance'...
6 n-plural If someone gets good or high marks for doing something, they have done it well. If they get poor or low marks, they have done it badly.
You have to give her top marks for moral guts...
7 verb When a teacher marks a student's work, the teacher decides how good it is and writes a number or letter on it to indicate this opinion.
He was marking essays in his small study. V n
♦
marking n-uncount
For the rest of the lunchbreak I do my marking.
8 n-count A particular mark is a particular number, point, or stage which has been reached or might be reached, especially a significant one.
Unemployment is rapidly approaching the one million mark.
9 n-count The mark of something is the characteristic feature that enables you to recognize it.
(=sign)
The mark of a civilized society is that it looks after its weakest members.
10 n-sing If you say that a type of behaviour or an event is a mark of a particular quality, feeling, or situation, you mean it shows that that quality, feeling, or situation exists.
(=indication, sign)
It was a mark of his unfamiliarity with Hollywood that he didn't understand that an agent was paid out of his client's share...
11 verb If something marks a place or position, it shows where something else is or where it used to be.
A huge crater marks the spot where the explosion happened. V n
12 verb An event that marks a particular stage or point is a sign that something different is about to happen.
The announcement marks the end of an extraordinary period in European history... V n
13 verb If you do something to mark an event or occasion, you do it to show that you are aware of the importance of the event or occasion.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to mark the occasion. V n
14 verb Something that marks someone as a particular type of person indicates that they are that type of person.
Her opposition to abortion and feminism mark her as a convinced traditionalist. V n as n
15 verb In a team game, when a defender is marking an attacker, they are trying to stay close to the attacker and prevent them from getting the ball.
(mainly BRIT)
...Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who so effectively marked Michael Owen. V n
in AM, use guard, cover
♦
marking n-uncount
They had stopped Ecuador from building up attacks with good marking.
16 n-count The mark was the unit of money that was used in Germany. In 2002 it was replaced by the euro.
The government gave 30 million marks for new school books.
The mark was also used to refer to the German currency system., n-sing the N
17 n-uncount Mark is used before a number to indicate a particular temperature level in a gas oven.
(BRIT)
Set the oven at gas mark 4.
18 n-uncount Mark is used before a number to indicate a particular version or model of a vehicle, machine, or device.
...his Mark II Ford Cortina.
19
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marked
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marking
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black mark
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check mark
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exclamation mark
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full marks
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high-water mark
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punctuation mark
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question mark
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scuff mark
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stretch marks
20 If someone or something leaves their mark or leaves a mark, they have a lasting effect on another person or thing.
♦
to leave your/a mark phrase
Years of conditioning had left their mark on her, and she never felt inclined to talk to strange men.
21 If you make your mark or make a mark, you become noticed or famous by doing something impressive or unusual.
♦
to make your/a mark phrase
She made her mark in the film industry in the 1960s.
22 If you are quick off the mark, you are quick to understand or respond to something. If you are slow off the mark, you are slow to understand or respond to something.
♦
quick/slow off the mark phrase
23 On your marks in British English, or on your mark in American English, is a command given to runners at the beginning of a race in order to get them into the correct position to start.
♦
on your marks convention
On your marks<endash>get set<endash>go!
24 If something is off the mark, it is inaccurate or incorrect. If it is on the mark, it is accurate or correct.
♦
on/off the mark phrase
Robinson didn't think the story was so far off the mark...
25 If something such as a claim or estimate is wide of the mark, it is incorrect or inaccurate.
♦
wide of the mark phrase
That comparison isn't as wide of the mark as it seems.
26
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to overstep the mark
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overstep mark down
1 phrasal verb If you mark something down, you write it down.
I tend to forget things unless I mark them down... V n P
2 phrasal verb If you mark someone down as a particular type of person, especially a type that you do not like, you consider that they have the qualities which make them that type of person.
If he'd taken that five pounds, I would have marked him down as a greedy fool... V n P as n
3 phrasal verb To mark an item down or mark its price down means to reduce its price.
(=reduce) (Antonym: mark up)
A toy store has marked down the Sonic Hedgehog computer game... V P n (not pron)
4 phrasal verb If a teacher marks a student down, the teacher puts a lower grade on the student's work because of a mistake that has been made.
If you mark each other's work, they don't mark you down because then you can mark them down. V n P mark off
1 phrasal verb If you mark off a piece or length of something, you make it separate, for example by putting a line on it or around it.
He used a rope to mark off the circle... V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb If a particular quality or feature marks someone or something off from other people or things, it is unusual and makes them obviously different.
Her clothes, of course, marked her off from a great number of the delegates at the conference... V n P from n
1 phrasal verb To mark out an area or shape means to show where it begins and ends.
When planting seedlings I prefer to mark out the rows in advance. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
2 phrasal verb If a particular quality or feature marks someone or something out, it makes them obviously different from other people or things.
There were several things about that evening that marked it out as very unusual... V n P as adj/n
