demarcate
Americanverb (used with object)
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demarcates,
present (3rd person singular)
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demarcated,
past participle, past
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demarcating
present participle
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to determine or mark off the boundaries or limits of.
to demarcate a piece of property.
-
to separate distinctly.
to demarcate the lots with fences.
verb
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to mark, fix, or draw the boundaries, limits, etc, of
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to separate or distinguish between (areas with unclear boundaries)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demarcatesimple
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demarcatessimple
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have demarcatedperfect
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has demarcatedperfect
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am demarcatingprogressive
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are demarcatingprogressive
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is demarcatingprogressive
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have been demarcatingperfect progressive
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has been demarcatingperfect progressive
Past
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demarcatedsimple
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had demarcatedperfect
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was demarcatingprogressive
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were demarcatingprogressive
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had been demarcatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of demarcate
First recorded in 1810–20; back formation from demarcation
Explanation
To demarcate is to set or draw a boundary, like that of a country. It can also mean to separate clearly in other ways. When you demarcate, you’re creating a boundary. Election officials who create or change boundaries between districts are demarcating. Demarcating usually starts with making lines on a map, but those lines have power in the world, as they change the size of a district, state, country, or other place. The word can be used more broadly for creating other types of separation. At work, a boss could demarcate which employees are responsible for which work, which is another kind of separation.
Vocabulary lists containing demarcate
This Week in Words: September 25 - October 1, 2017
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"Coming of Age in the Dawnland," Vocabulary from the historical excerpt
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Academic Vocabulary, Units 1–3
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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:
To demarcate the borders of his $15 million deal, Jefferson sent out a Corps of Discovery—including young U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Like their Jedi namesake, Skywalker gibbons cannot swim, so rivers tend to demarcate their species boundaries.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 14, 2024
Mosque authorities have challenged this in court, alleging that authorities overrode a 2022 court ruling that ordered DDA to identify land owned by the Waqf and demarcate it before undertaking any demolitions in the area.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2024
The second, published in Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity on Nov. 30, took those qualitative findings and attempted to demarcate four discrete subtypes or pathways for detransition.
From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2023
Some thinkers have identified the two, while others regard Epistemology as a subdivision of logic; others demarcate their relative spheres by confining logic to the science of the laws of thought, i.e. to formal logic.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6 "English Language" to "Epsom Salts" by Various
The Yellow Line demarcates territory in Gaza still under Israeli control under the ceasefire deal.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
The so-called yellow line demarcates the boundary inside the Gaza Strip that Israeli troops have withdrawn behind, as part of the US-brokered ceasefire.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
Language is often assumed to be the quality that demarcates human singularity, Dr. Dehaene noted, but perhaps there is something that is more basic, more fundamental.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2022
And for Orthodox Jews who want to leave their homes on the Sabbath, there is something called an Eruv, a ring of string that demarcates a neighborhood and represents a symbolic extension of the home.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 30, 2021
The Devils Thumb demarcates the Alaska-British Columbia border east of Petersburg, a fishing village accessible only by boat or plane.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
At the Corwen end, the grass path runs through private pieces of land which are demarcated on the path with fencing and stiles, over which travellers need to be able to climb.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
The border in the area is porous and poorly demarcated, which contributed to Lebanese nationals settling in Syria and facilitated the smuggling for which the region is known.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
What was once a regional sport with deep roots and clearly demarcated borders has morphed into a sprawling battle where geography and tradition have been pushed into the background.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2025
The campfire setting, demarcated with lanterns, suggests a support group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
Although these settlements were permanent, winter and summer alike, they often were not tightly knit entities, with houses and fields in carefully demarcated clusters.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Indigenous leaders say its return highlights the importance of demarcating their ancestral lands to keep their traditions alive.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
President Joe Biden, mediated a landmark deal demarcating Lebanon and Israel’s maritime border inked in 2022.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
Recognizing and demarcating Indigenous lands leads to reduced deforestation and increased reforestation.
From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2023
The Parakana credit him for demarcating their reserve in 2007, ending a decade-long struggle for land rights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2022
The light flickered over the paper as the old woman crouched down and stared at the lines demarcating the Great Wood, the river Nir, the Kell.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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.
