Standard Lemma guide

watermark

noun · verb · 9 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.

  • /ˈwɔːtəmɑːk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: W AO1 T ER0 M AA2 R K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A translucent design impressed on the surface of paper and visible when the paper is held to the light.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A logo superimposed on a digital image, a television broadcast, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A value stored in a datafile to ensure its integrity, so that if the file's contents are changed then the watermark will no longer match the contents.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A default hint caption displayed in a text box prior to the user inputting any text.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A mark indicating the level to which water has risen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: waterline

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To mark paper with a watermark.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To mark a datafile with a digital watermark.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: marker, marking, mark

9

noun

Meaning 9

a line marking the level reached by a body of water

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: water line

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: line

Narrower terms: high-water mark, low-water mark

History

Etymology

From water + mark.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: воден знак (voden znak) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Catalan: filigrana — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Catalan: marca d'aigua — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Chinese Mandarin: 水印 (shuǐyìn) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Czech: vodotisk — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Czech: vodoznak — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Czech: průsvitka — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Czech: filigrán — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Danish: vandmærke — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Dutch: watermerk — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Finnish: vesileima — translucent design impressed on paper
  • French: filigrane — translucent design impressed on paper
  • German: Wasserzeichen — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Greek: υδατόσημο (ydatósimo) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Greek: υδατογράφημα (ydatográfima) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Hungarian: vízjel — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Indonesian: cap kertas — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Italian: filigrana — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Japanese: 透かし (sukashi) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Japanese: 水位標 (suīhyō) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Kazakh: сәулебелгі (säulebelgı) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Korean: 워터마크 (woteomakeu) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Korean: 수위표 (suwipyo) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Latvian: ūdenszīme — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Malay: tera air — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vannmerke — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vassmerke — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vassmerke — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Polish: znak wodny — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Portuguese: marca d’água — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Portuguese: marca de água — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Russian: водяно́й знак (vodjanój znak) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Slovak: vodotlač — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Spanish: marca de agua — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Spanish: filigrana — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Spanish: marca ácuea — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Spanish: marca acuosa — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Spanish: marca aguosa — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Spanish: marca hídrica — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Swedish: vattenstämpel — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Swedish: vattenmärke — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Tagalog: piligrana — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Thai: ลายน้ํา (laai-náam) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Turkish: filigran — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Ukrainian: водяни́й знак (vodjanýj znak) — translucent design impressed on paper
  • Finnish: vesileimata — to mark paper with a watermark
  • French: filigraner — to mark paper with a watermark
  • German: mit Wasserzeichen versehen — to mark paper with a watermark
  • Greek: υδατοσημαίνω (ydatosimaíno) — to mark paper with a watermark
  • Finnish: vesileimata — to mark a datafile with a digital watermark