earmark

[ eer-mahrk ]

See synonyms for: earmark earmarked earmarking on Thesaurus.com

noun

any identifying or distinguishing mark or characteristic: The mayor's statement had all the earmarks of dirty politics.
a mark of identification made on the ear of an animal to show ownership.

a provision in a piece of Congressional legislation that directs specified federal funds to specific projects, programs, organizations, or individuals: Lawmakers requested almost 40,000 earmarks worth more than $100 billion directed to their home districts and states.: Compare pork barrel.

verb (used with object)

to set aside for a specific purpose, use, recipient, etc.: to earmark goods for export.
to mark with an earmark.

Origin of earmark

First recorded in 1515–25; ear¹ + mark¹

Other words from earmark

un·ear·marked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use earmark in a sentence

He is hoping to reinstitute an altered system of appropriations earmarks, reviving a practice that, while sometimes abused, helped build bipartisan support for must-pass spending bills.
‘We’re in the foxhole together’: House Democrats reckon with a diminished majority | Mike DeBonis | November 23, 2020 | Washington Post
CNN and other networks were quoting experts who said the attack had all earmarks of Middle Eastern terrorism.
The Unexpected Benefits of Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Polling | by Stephen Engelberg | November 9, 2020 | ProPublica
As of Nov. 3, only $110 million had been earmarked for the region—most of which has yet to arrive.
Fighting Ebola and Starvation in Sierra Leone | Abby Haglage | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Donson was not surprised that money earmarked for programs to benefit inmates actually pays for staffing and other costs.
Megabanks Have The Federal Prison System Locked Up | Center for Public Integrity | October 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
About $10 billion was earmarked to build a bridge across the Kerch Strait, with its unpredictable currents during spring floods.
Putin's Crimea Is a Big Anti-Gay Casino | Anna Nemtsova | September 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Look through that PDF I just linked to and feast on the meager amounts earmarked for democracy and assistance programs.
Is It Just Me or Is the World Exploding? So Why Isn’t Obama Doing More? | Michael Tomasky | July 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Particular bars and nightclubs are earmarked as gay-friendly despite the crackdown, members told The Daily Beast.
Al-Sisi’s Egypt Is Worse For Gays Than The Muslim Brotherhood | Bel Trew | June 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We're about straight with the world, though it means every penny earmarked before I earn it.
Married Life | May Edginton
He is quoting a favourite phrase—that a certain item of revenue has been earmarked for a particular purpose.
I Walked in Arden | Jack Crawford
Some years ago a number of public buildings were earmarked for hospital use in case of war.
Observations of an Orderly | Ward Muir
He looked at her benignly, like a monarch of finance who has earmarked a million or two for the benefit of a deserving charity.
Jill the Reckless | P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
The precious minutes that belonged to his employers and should have been earmarked for "The Rose of America" flitted by.
Jill the Reckless | P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

British Dictionary definitions for earmark

earmark

/ (ˈɪəˌmɑːk) /

verb(tr)

to set aside or mark out for a specific purpose
to make an identification mark on the ear of (a domestic animal)

noun

a mark of identification on the ear of a domestic animal
any distinguishing mark or characteristic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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