birthmark
Americannoun
-
birthmarks
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of birthmark
Explanation
A birthmark is a permanent spot on your skin, often dark brown colored. The actress Marilyn Monroe was famous for a small birthmark just above her lip. Most birthmarks are present from birth or soon after, and many are pigmented much darker than the surrounding skin. Strawberry and port wine birthmarks, on the other hand, are bright red. The causes of birthmarks vary, but they're almost always harmless. In the 17th century, they were sometimes called "longing marks," supposedly demonstrating the pregnant mother's longing for something before her baby was born.
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:
One gets the sense that Miriam’s inner darkness is inseparable from her brilliance, like Georgiana’s birthmark in Hawthorne’s early short story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
He has the tender, shining eyes of an ingenue while Del Campo, who has a striking birthmark on her cheek, is a femme fatale able to hold her own against Wolff’s selfish, useless playboy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025
She started using camouflage make-up from the age of five and from the age of about 11 began fully covering her birthmark and wearing clothes that hid her body.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2024
My little sister had a birthmark there,”’ Seiler said, recounting those who called in to the show.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
But unlike in that photo, she wasn’t trying to hide the birthmark with a sweep of her hair.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
People with larger or multiple CMN may develop more birthmarks after birth, particularly during their first few years.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Mutations in the skin, for example, occasionally resulted in unusual pigment patterns such as port-wine stain birthmarks.
From Science Magazine ● Aug. 15, 2023
The finalists are examined by the priest’s wife for scars, birthmarks and other perceived defects.
From New York Times ● Jul. 15, 2022
Even among humans, identical twins can possess different birthmarks, wrinkles, or other features that arise during development sometimes due to differential gene expression.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
There were people with quills in their hands and people with stars in their hands and people with birthmarks on their foreheads that looked like crescent moons.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
