Standard Lemma guide

marker

noun · verb · 27 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmɑː(ɹ)kə(ɹ)/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)kə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: M AA1 R K ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone or something that creates marks, particularly

A felt-tipped pen, a marker pen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Don't use the permanent marker on the whiteboard.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone or something that creates marks, particularly

A scorekeeper, especially one who tallies billiard scores.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone or something that creates marks, particularly

A device that fires a paintball.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: games, paintball

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

A real or virtual objective, something to be aimed for.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

A location on a stage or set where an actor is to stand or move to during a scene, usually indicated by a small X design placed on the floor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: broadcasting, entertainment, film, lifestyle, media, television, theater

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

A location on a stage or set where an actor is to stand or move to during a scene, usually indicated by a small X design placed on the floor.

A direction issued by a camera operator for actors to be on their locations in readiness for a take.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: broadcasting, entertainment, film, lifestyle, media, television, theater

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

Synonym of IOU, an informal record of a debt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, slang, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: IOU

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

A free or bound morpheme indicating a grammatical function.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

Ellipsis of discourse marker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

A gene or DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that can be used to identify individuals or species.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

A substance used as an indicator for diagnosis or other analysis, a biomarker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

The soldier who forms the pilot of a wheeling column or marks the direction of an alignment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

A sewing machine attachment that creases the fabric to mark a line

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

A counter, especially one used in card games or backgammon.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly

Any of various objects that mark a place on the landscape, such as a milepost, blaze, or surveyor's cairn.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

17

noun

Meaning 17

Someone who assigns marks on tests, examinations, etc.; a grader.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

18

noun

Meaning 18

The ink marks or residue of a felt-tipped pen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial, uncountable

Examples

  • Susie got marker all over the walls.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

19

noun

Meaning 19

A personal favor owed to someone, whether written or not.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable

Examples

  • We may not be able to do this alone. Maybe it’s time to call in some of our markers.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

20

noun

Meaning 20

A formal certification that a company was the first to approach a competition authority to reveal the existence of a cartel, generally entitling it to greater leniency during the cartel's dissolution and punishment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: competition law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

21

noun

Meaning 21

A player on defense used to mark one or more offensive players.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

22

noun

Meaning 22

A player employed by a private club to compete against members.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, dated, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

23

noun

Meaning 23

A point, unit of scoring in a game or competition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Philippines, countable, informal, uncountable

Topics: ball-games, basketball, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports, volleyball

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

24

verb

Meaning 24

To mark or write on (something) using a marker

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

25

noun

Meaning 25

some conspicuous object used to distinguish or mark something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the buoys were markers for the channel

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: artifact, artefact

Narrower terms: bookmark, bookmarker, yard marker

26

noun

Meaning 26

a writing implement for making a mark

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: writing implement

Narrower terms: highlighter

27

noun

Meaning 27

a distinguishing symbol

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the owner's mark was on all the sheep

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: marking, mark

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: symbol

Narrower terms: earmark, brand, trademark, authentication, hallmark, assay-mark, postmark, watermark, broad arrow, milestone, milepost, peg, pin, spot, pip, label, cairn

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English mark Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English marker From mark + -er.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: marqueur — object used to mark location
  • French: tetrahedron — object used to mark location
  • German: Markierung — object used to mark location
  • Hungarian: jelzés — object used to mark location
  • Hungarian: jel — object used to mark location
  • Macedonian: пока́зател (pokázatel) — object used to mark location
  • Norman: mèrtcheux — object used to mark location
  • Norwegian Bokmål: markør — object used to mark location
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: markør — object used to mark location
  • Portuguese: marco — object used to mark location
  • Romanian: marker — object used to mark location
  • Russian: ме́тка (métka) — object used to mark location
  • Russian: указа́тель (ukazátelʹ) — object used to mark location
  • Slovak: značka — object used to mark location
  • Slovak: označenie — object used to mark location
  • Slovak: marka — object used to mark location
  • Slovak: míľnik — object used to mark location
  • Spanish: venero — object used to mark location
  • Spanish: marcador — free or bound morpheme indicating a grammatical function
  • Vietnamese: chỉ tố — free or bound morpheme indicating a grammatical function
  • French: marqueur — someone or something that marks
  • Hungarian: jelző — someone or something that marks
  • Hungarian: jelölő — someone or something that marks
  • Hungarian: tábla — someone or something that marks
  • Hungarian: kijelző — someone or something that marks
  • Hungarian: mutató — someone or something that marks
  • Norman: mèrtcheux — someone or something that marks
  • Portuguese: marcador — someone or something that marks
  • Romanian: marcator — someone or something that marks
  • Hungarian: adóslevél — note of debt
  • Hungarian: ígérvény — note of debt
  • Hungarian: kötelezvény — note of debt
  • Italian: nota — note of debt
  • Italian: quota — note of debt
  • French: marqueur — a device that fires a paintball
  • Greek: μαρκαδόρος (markadóros) — a device that fires a paintball
  • Portuguese: marcador — a device that fires a paintball
  • Dutch: merker — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • French: marqueur — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Galician: marcador — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Hungarian: marker — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Italian: marcatore — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Norwegian Bokmål: markør — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: markør — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Persian: نشانگر (nešângar) — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Polish: marker — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Portuguese: marcador — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
  • Spanish: marcador — a gene or DNA sequence with a known location
Real reading context

marker in complete knowledge articles