marker
Americannoun
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markers
plural
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a person or thing that marks.
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something used as a mark or indication, as a bookmark or tombstone.
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a person who records the scores, points, etc., as in a game or contest.
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a counter used in card playing.
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Digital Technology. a navigation pointer or other indicator in a graphical user interface: Place markers at the beginning and end of your selection to trim your video in edit mode.
Dragging the marker up the sound bar will increase the volume.
Place markers at the beginning and end of your selection to trim your video in edit mode.
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Genetics. genetic marker.
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Psychology. an object, as a book or topcoat left at a library table, used to establish territorial possession in a public place.
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Linguistics.
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an element of a construction, as a coordinating conjunction, that is not a part of either immediate constituent.
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an element that indicates the grammatical class or function of a construction.
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a small radio beacon, automatically operated, used for local navigation of vessels.
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Also called marker pen,. Also called marking pen. a pen designed for making bold, colorful, or indelible marks, as in making signs or identifying objects.
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Slang.
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a debt, especially a gambling debt.
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a written or signed promise to pay a debt, especially a gambling debt; a promissory note or IOU.
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Also called marker crude. Commerce. a grade of oil on which prices of other crude oils are based.
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Citizens Band Radio Slang. one's location while driving on a highway, as determined by the nearest milepost.
noun
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something used for distinguishing or marking
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( as modifier )
a marker buoy
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a person or thing that marks
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a person or object that keeps or shows scores in a game
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a trait, condition, gene, or substance that indicates the presence of, or a probable increased predisposition to, a medical or psychological disorder See biological marker genetic marker medical marker
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of marker
Explanation
A marker is an ink-filled pen with a wide tip. Kids often use washable markers, while adults are usually trusted with the permanent type. Permanent markers contain ink that can't be washed away, and they're useful for labeling and marking things like cardboard boxes and file folders. Another kind of marker is a highlighter, which you can use to make important words or phrases in a book stand out with a line of translucent neon ink. A different meaning of marker is "something that marks a route or specific place." Markers along a hiking trail help keep you from getting lost.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The rise of photography solidified the face as a marker of individuality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“It is a psychologically important level,” said Brij Khurana, fixed-income portfolio manager at Wellington, of the 5% marker.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Rangers legend Graeme Souness says the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final is an opportunity for both sides to "put a marker down" as they meet for the first time this season.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
That second mechanism could potentially close off one of the escape routes that limits therapies aimed at only a single cancer marker.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
"Why don't you fix the marker out there? Then they won't take the wrong trail and bother you."
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Older adults may be able to shift important markers of aging in a surprisingly short amount of time simply by changing what they eat.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 16, 2026
This time Sarah struggled to have blood markers in the safe remit to receive regular chemotherapy, which meant treatment was "sporadic".
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
People working for AI companies are so busy and unfocused on traditional markers of wealth, many have yet to fully embrace the fruits of that labor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“It’s becoming increasingly hard for lower- and middle-income young adults to become and remain middle class, and to attain the markers of the middle class,” Dickerson told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The tall stone marker was nearby, and several white markers were on the slope.
From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
