trademark

American  

[treyd-mahrk] / ˈtreɪdˌmɑrk /

noun

1. any name, symbol, figure, letter, word, or mark adopted and used by a manufacturer or merchant in order to designate specific goods and to distinguish them from those manufactured or sold by others. A trademark is proprietary and is usually registered with the Patent and Trademark Office to assure its exclusive use by its owner or licensee.

2. a distinctive mark or feature particularly characteristic of or identified with a person or thing (often used attributively).

   her trademark wit and sarcasm.

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verb (used with object)

trademarks, present (3rd person singular) trademarked, past participle, past trademarking present participle

1. to stamp or otherwise place a trademark designation upon.

2. to register the trademark of.

trademark British  

/ ˈtreɪdˌmɑːk /

noun

1. the name or other symbol used to identify the goods produced by a particular manufacturer or distributed by a particular dealer and to distinguish them from products associated with competing manufacturers or dealers. A trademark that has been officially registered and is therefore legally protected is known as a Registered Trademark

2. any distinctive sign or mark of the presence of a person or animal

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verb

1. to label with a trademark

2. to register as a trademark

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has trademarked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have trademarked
  perfect
• are trademarking
  progressive
• am trademarking
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been trademarking
  perfect progressive
• trademarks
  singular 3rd person
• is trademarking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been trademarking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• trademarking
  participle

Past

• had trademarked
  perfect
• were trademarking
  progressive plural
• was trademarking
  progressive singular
• trademarked
  participle
• had been trademarking
  perfect progressive
• trademarked
  simple

Future

• will trademark
  simple
• will have trademarked
  perfect
• will be trademarking
  progressive
• will have been trademarking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of trademark

First recorded in 1565–75; trade + mark ¹

Explanation

A trademark is a distinctive feature of something or someone, and to trademark is to brand something, especially in a legal sense. You know how a comedian often has a particular joke she's famous for? That's her trademark. A trademark is something specific to a person that can be used to identify her. The legal sense of trademark is an official representation of a business or product that only they can legally use — like the Nike swoosh or their motto "Just do it."

Example Sentences

Swift, represented by TAS Rights Management LLC, appealed against Cathay Home's application in a document, seen by the BBC, which was issued to the US Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

Patent and Trademark Office featuring him staring, smiling and talking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

Patent and Trademark Office and sets standards that shape everything from weather forecasting and climate research to cybersecurity guidelines.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2025

Trademark restrictions “have always turned on a mark’s content” yet “have always coexisted with the First Amendment,” so they represent an exception to the usual constitutional limitations.

From Slate • Jun. 17, 2024

Patent and Trademark Office database turns up more than seventeen thousand patents involving HeLa cells.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• brand
• label
• stamp