watermark
Americannoun
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a mark indicating the height to which water rises or has risen, as in a river or inlet.
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a figure or design impressed in some paper during manufacture, visible when the paper is held to the light.
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Computers. Also digital watermark a small piece of code or identifiable data sequence embedded into a digital file, usually an image or an audio or video file, as a traceable marker of origin or ownership.
verb (used with object)
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to mark (paper or a digital file) with a watermark.
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to impress (a design, pattern, etc.), as a watermark.
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Computers. to place (a digital identifier) into a file.
noun
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a distinguishing mark impressed on paper during manufacture, visible when the paper is held up to the light
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another word for water line water line
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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watermarksimple
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watermarkssimple
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have watermarkedperfect
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has watermarkedperfect
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am watermarkingprogressive
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are watermarkingprogressive
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is watermarkingprogressive
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have been watermarkingperfect progressive
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has been watermarkingperfect progressive
Past
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watermarkedsimple
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had watermarkedperfect
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was watermarkingprogressive
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were watermarkingprogressive
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had been watermarkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of watermark
Explanation
A subtle design in paper that identifies it as authentic is called a watermark. When you hold a hundred dollar bill up to the light, you can see its watermark. The term watermark comes from the way these designs are created, during the "wet paper" stage of making paper, and also from the fact that a watermark resembles a damp spot. Documents, stamps, and paper money all have watermarks that label them as genuine. Fancy writing paper often includes watermarks noting the brand. And you can also use the word for a digital marker, a signal that identifies the owner of a photo, video, or audio file. In its most literal sense, watermark means a mark showing the level of a body of water.
Vocabulary lists containing watermark
"Rituals of Memory," Vocabulary from the essay
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Drew Leclair Gets a Clue
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Postage Stamp Day
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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:
Mazzara’s comment in the email thread with other Homeland Security attorneys was given to American Oversight with a watermark showing the agency had intended to withhold it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
The 1989 series showcased birds such as Dartford warblers, oystercatchers and brent geese, and the current notes include a Jersey cow watermark.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
In addition, clear or audible labels, like a watermark, are required for AI-generated content that could be mistaken for real life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
Gold futures settled at a new high, making it one of the many days in 2025 where gold charted another watermark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
Then she looked up at the old watermark left from a long-ago leak above my bed.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
This can be done by integrating watermarks and other markers to allow the easy detection of AI-generated content.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Official checks usually contain watermarks, security threads, color-changing ink and other security features.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
These include invisible watermarks embedded directly into images and cryptographic signatures linked to the technologist at the time of image capture, which can help verify authenticity.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026
Her team has proposed safeguards like using watermarks on any manipulated media to clearly show they’re fake, in case any materials were made public in a data breach.
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025
She held a few pages up against the window to see if the light would betray hidden watermarks or other mysterious evidence.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Under the planned tweaks, some groups whose generative AI systems are already on the market would be offered a grace period to help them comply with obligations on having their systems watermarked to increase transparency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
That included "five jump drives containing watermarked music, unreleased music, footage plans for shows past and future, and set list", the report states.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2025
The watermarked Stake meme gets screenshotted and passed on, where it spreads through successive channels—like when publications that need to embed Twitter videos become complicit in Stake’s amorphous campaign.
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2024
The regulations will include recommendations, but not requirements, that photos, videos and audio developed by such systems be watermarked to make clear that they were created by A.I.
From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2023
For this very reason, I was not one bit sad to say goodbye to our current apartment with its orangish carpet, watermarked ceiling, and faint smells left by previous owners.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
Three of its jobs were for “content security” to assess AI tools and guard against piracy, watermarking and rights-protection work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Its new watermarking scheme on X is an amorphous advertising campaign that ignores international borders and the gambling laws that exist within them.
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2024
Reid Blackman, founder and CEO of ethical AI risk consultancy Virtue and author of the book Ethical Machines, said watermarking photos is another potential technical solution.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2024
“I think we are doing all the work across the tech industry around watermarking, detecting deepfakes, and content IDs.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
The Commerce Department is separately tasked with making guidance for content authentication and watermarking so people know when they are viewing and consuming AI-generated content.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 30, 2023
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.
