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.
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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
- demarcator noun
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.
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
In the other months of the year, rainbow bunting and rainbow crosswalks still demarcate LGBTQ+ businesses and historic gayborhoods, creating a visual map of the queer world.
From Slate • Jun. 19, 2024
“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
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
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.
