demarcate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
-
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
These demarcate dates at which relative power-unit performance will be assessed, with those trailing by more than specific amounts of performance given the chance to undertake extra development.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
“But we didn’t expect it to demarcate only two lands this year.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
Like their Jedi namesake, Skywalker gibbons cannot swim, so rivers tend to demarcate their species boundaries.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 14, 2024
It seems likely that just this deliberate practice may serve to more clearly demarcate truth from falsehood in the individual's mind.
From Pathology of Lying, accusation, and swindling: a study in forensic psychology by Healy, William
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
This is because consciousness in her view is a watershed that demarcates “special legal and ethical obligations” for its makers and users.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2019
The bike lane is slightly elevated above the car lane, which feels safer than just a white line that demarcates bike lanes in many other cities.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2019
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
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 Comoe River clearly delimits part of the northeastern frontier between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso -- but the land border is poorly demarcated.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025
This absence distorts time or those edges of days or weeks or months that were once so clearly demarcated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
Content is demarcated by categories like “Movies,” “Comedy,” “Classic TV,” “Sci-Fi,” “Reality,” and “Season’s Greetings,” for those longing to fulfill their Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movie cravings.
From Slate ● Dec. 24, 2023
She stood looking at the line of trees that demarcated the woods as clearly as any doorway.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
Indigenous leaders say its return highlights the importance of demarcating their ancestral lands to keep their traditions alive.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
Families eat and enjoy music by a historic obelisk, the first monument demarcating the border, from the mid-1800s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2023
Recognizing and demarcating Indigenous lands leads to reduced deforestation and increased reforestation.
From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2023
Lebanon hopes that demarcating maritime borders will pave the way for gas exploration to help lift it out of its crippling economic crisis, which has plunged three-quarters of its population into poverty.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 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.
