trademark

American  

[treyd-mahrk] / ˈtreɪdˌmɑrk /

noun

• trademarks
  plural

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trademarks
  plural

Participles

• trademarking
  present
• trademarked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• trademark
  simple
• trademarks
  simple
• have trademarked
  perfect
• has trademarked
  perfect
• am trademarking
  progressive
• are trademarking
  progressive
• is trademarking
  progressive
• have been trademarking
  perfect progressive
• has been trademarking
  perfect progressive

Past

• trademarked
  simple
• had trademarked
  perfect
• was trademarking
  progressive
• were trademarking
  progressive
• had been trademarking
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

trademark trademarks trademarked trademarking

The title track balances ringing classic rock chords mixed with Morello’s trademark Bomb Squad-esque riffs against a half-spoken, half-chanted narration and a white-hot guitar solo.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

Waters, in his trademark coy fashion, thinks of the community slightly differently.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

With a career spanning decades, Thompson has attracted followers for his trademark high-energy style and loony routines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Huang, in his trademark leather jacket, said safety is paramount but an engineering problem.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

“Perfectly,” he answers, then adds his trademark soulless smile.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

Blockbuster trades and high-profile free-agent signings have been Rams trademarks during the Sean McVay era, but success also has been built on more subtle transactions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Promotional content posted by the White House on social media also included images that resemble trademarks and designs from Microsoft-owned Xbox.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

The outlet also said that Molly Tea and its affiliated firms had applied for multiple trademarks that were rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

The director’s trademarks haven’t been this thrilling in years, with Janusz Kamiński’s camera doing tricks that rival his most awe-inspiring work, and John Williams’ score ratcheting the tension in chase scenes and action sequences.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

If I died, I didn’t want people remembering me for the stacks of legal briefs I’d written or the corporate trademarks I’d helped defend.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The European Court of Justice confirmed that decision, saying the name OpenAI was not sufficiently distinctive to be trademarked.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

It’s exactly the kind of expanding, heart-filling rock ‘n’ roll ballad that Springsteen has practically trademarked at this point.

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

PopUp’s trademarked motto is “Grip, Rip, and Dip.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

The nonprofit recently trademarked its name and is in the process of copyrighting its livestream.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2026

The fast-food vendor may own a trademarked phrase or jingle that the public learns to associate with his product.

From The Public Domain Enclosing the Commons of the Mind by James Boyle

EU regulations do not allow trademarking a brand that simply describes a product or service, as that would mean competitors could no longer use those terms in their advertising.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

But Hopkins didn’t have the name recognition to justify trademarking “Cocky.”

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

The University of Cambridge has won its fight to stop a rowing company based in the city trademarking its name.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026

Matthew McConaughey is taking a novel legal approach to combat unauthorized artificial-intelligence fakes: trademarking himself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

The name was chosen because of difficulties Intel had in trademarking a number.

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Guy L. Steele

Related Words

• brand
• label
• stamp