mar
verb (used with object)
to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil.
Showing results for mar.
Search instead for
Mares.
mar
1 American
[mahr]
/ mɑr /
verb (used with object)
-
mars,
present (3rd person singular)
-
marred,
past participle, past
-
marring
present participle
-
to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil.
That billboard mars the view. The holiday was marred by bad weather.
-
to disfigure, deface, or scar.
The scratch marred the table.
mar.
2
American
abbreviation
-
maritime.
-
married.
Mar.
3
American
abbreviation
M.A.R.
4
American
abbreviation
mar
1
British
/ mɑː /
verb
noun
Mar
2
British
abbreviation
Usage
What does mar mean? To mar something is to damage, spoil, deface, disfigure, or scar it—either literally (such as by scratching or making a mark on an object) or figuratively (such as by spoiling a party by getting into an argument). Mar is used somewhat more formally than many of its synonyms. Whether used literally or figuratively, it always refers to spoiling something by making it worse or less perfect than it was. Its figurative sense is more often used in writing (especially journalism) than in everyday speech. Mar can also be used as a noun, meaning a blemish, but this is less common. Example: The senator’s campaign event was unfortunately marred by people who wanted to disrupt the event by interrupting her speech.
Synonym Usage
Mar, deface, disfigure, deform agree in applying to some form of injury. Mar is general, but usually refers to an external or surface injury, if it is a physical one: The tabletop was marred by dents and scratches. Deface refers to a surface injury that may be temporary or easily repaired: a tablecloth defaced by penciled notations. Disfigure applies to external injury of a more permanent and serious kind: A birthmark disfigured one side of his face. Deform suggests that something has been distorted or internally injured so severely as to change its normal form or qualities, or else that some fault has interfered with its proper development: deformed by an accident that had crippled him; to deform feet by binding them.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
marsimple
-
marssimple
-
have marredperfect
-
has marredperfect
-
am marringprogressive
-
are marringprogressive
-
is marringprogressive
-
have been marringperfect progressive
-
has been marringperfect progressive
Past
-
marredsimple
-
had marredperfect
-
was marringprogressive
-
were marringprogressive
-
had been marringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mar
First recorded before 900; Middle English merren, Old English merran “to hinder, waste”; cognate with Old Saxon merrian, Old High German merren “to hinder,” Old Norse merja “to bruise,” Gothic marzjan “to offend”
Explanation
A mar is a flaw, mark, or blemish, like a deep scratch on a wooden table. As a verb, to mar is to make such an imperfection — like the pen mark that mars your crisp, white shirt. We often think of things that mar as immediately noticeable, like scratches, scars, and blemishes, but sometimes mar describes other ways of ruining something. For example, an unexpected run-in with a difficult person can mar your relaxing day at the beach, just as an unpleasant memory can mar a peaceful state of mind. The thing to remember is, it only takes one scratch, one mean comment, or one negative experience to mar something that is otherwise fine.
Vocabulary lists containing mar
ASVAB Word Knowledge
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act V
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
On the other hand, he is heavily invested in the tournament's success – and may take special efforts to avoid the kind of diplomatic incidents that could mar proceedings.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Mr. Armitage’s language is striking for its restraint; he does not traffic in the faux-archaic grandiosity, the inflated diction donning the mask of authenticity, that has helped mar so many earlier attempts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Presumably, Mayweather scheduled the event as a warmup for the Pacquiao rematch — the only fight of the three that could mar Mayweather’s 50-0 lifetime record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
Gilded fixtures, trim and ornamentation — rumored to be from Home Depot — mar the walls.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2026
To the east, over the ocean, the sky is rosy, without a single cloud to mar the view.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
The forests come down nearly to the beach, which is covered with thickets of mangroves, avicennias, manchineel-trees, and that species of suriana which the natives call romero de la mar.*
From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Thomasina Ross
VIII., is this singular entry:—"Robarde Holte of Stubley, hase mar. an ould woman, by whom he hase none issewe, and therefore he wolde not have her name entryed."
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by John Roby
Similarly, the S&P 500’s RSI is currently 67, having surged from 27.7 on Mar. 30.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026
Not that Arthur was thinking about either Derby eight years ago when she bid $500 for a behind-the-scenes tour of Santa Anita or Del Mar. She wasn’t even thinking about owning a horse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
Coming into Monday trading, shares were down more than 40% since the company reported results on Mar. 24.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
After the fuel tank strike on Mar. 16, Dubai—one of seven emirates and the UAE’s commercial hub—has sought to reassure passengers, declaring flights in and out of its airports to be safe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
And he goes to me, ‘Look, Mar. I want to talk straight with you.’
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
Indeid M.A.R. spak with me fowr or fywe dayis syn, and I hew promised his Lo. ane answar within ten dayis at farrest.
From James VI and the Gowrie Mystery by Andrew Lang
Ye knaw the kingis hwnting vill be schortly, and than sall be best tyme, as M.A.R. has asswred me, that my Lo. has resolved to interpryse that matter.
From James VI and the Gowrie Mystery by Andrew Lang
One woman's body was washed up on a beach in Sagunto, in the eastern region of Valencia, and another was swept away by floodwaters in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The filmmakers are allowed virtually unlimited access to the family’s life, with Fielder even invited to move into their rented house in Del Mar, near San Diego.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
La Mar was an enormously popular restaurant in Lima, Peru, and its owner, the acclaimed chef Gastón Acurio, had his sights set firmly on expanding to New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Nolan Scott of Corona del Mar continues to make impact as a tight end and defensive end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
The year before, he had invested $600,000 in the building of a new track, Del Mar, a magnificent seaside racing palace near San Diego.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Americans hated the laws, all but one of which was repealed under Adams’s successor, Thomas Jefferson, and the whole episode mars the second president’s otherwise splendid reputation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
And despite already being a sap, I was extra fortunate to find director Guan Hu’s Chinese drama almost completely free of the sentiment that mars most animal movies.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2024
And though there are times when Dudamel does restrain himself from the exhibitionism that mars the first movement of his Ninth, the result too often is faceless and bland.
From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2022
It really mars what is otherwise a striking finish.
From The Verge ● Jul. 14, 2022
People might comment, especially Saint Sarah, who makes it her business to pounce on evidences of grief, bereavement, any occurrence that mars the tra-la-la-la gaiety of everyday life.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
But this year's Asian Games in Nagoya and the wider Aichi Prefecture were marred by problems.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
“We had a table and chairs that would seat 12 people and came from Peter’s grandparents. The table was marred on top and the consignment people wouldn’t take it,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Mr. Fain won election in 2023 by fewer than 500 votes on a promise of reform, but his tenure has been marred by allegations of misconduct and financial mismanagement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The episode called to mind the hot mic that marred the Toronto Raptors’ postseason news conference last April.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
The hull listed to one side, and a very large, splintery gash marred the bow.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
On Tuesday, Scott retired three of the four batters he faced, with only a well-placed single through the right side of the field — a “soft-serve hit, as Roberts put it” — marring the outing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
A cycle of ephemeral emperors, military mutinies and civil wars had begun, marring Rome’s third century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Sandisk’s stock is off fractionally on Tuesday, with the report hardly marring the first anniversary of the split.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
Hundreds of pupils in Indonesia fell ill after eating free school meals, officials said Wednesday, in the latest case of alleged food poisoning marring a government-funded programme.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2025
“Perhaps it was caused by the painful tooth. To some extent the marring effects of Watergate may have played a part.”
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
