to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil.
That billboard mars the view. The holiday was marred by bad weather.
to disfigure, deface, or scar.
The scratch marred the table.
maritime.
married.
What does mar mean? To mar something is to damage, spoil, deface, disfigure, or scar it—either literally (such as by scratching or making a mark on an object) or figuratively (such as by spoiling a party by getting into an argument). Mar is used somewhat more formally than many of its synonyms. Whether used literally or figuratively, it always refers to spoiling something by making it worse or less perfect than it was. Its figurative sense is more often used in writing (especially journalism) than in everyday speech. Mar can also be used as a noun, meaning a blemish, but this is less common. Example: The senator’s campaign event was unfortunately marred by people who wanted to disrupt the event by interrupting her speech.
Mar, deface, disfigure, deform agree in applying to some form of injury. Mar is general, but usually refers to an external or surface injury, if it is a physical one: The tabletop was marred by dents and scratches. Deface refers to a surface injury that may be temporary or easily repaired: a tablecloth defaced by penciled notations. Disfigure applies to external injury of a more permanent and serious kind: A birthmark disfigured one side of his face. Deform suggests that something has been distorted or internally injured so severely as to change its normal form or qualities, or else that some fault has interfered with its proper development: deformed by an accident that had crippled him; to deform feet by binding them.
First recorded before 900; Middle English merren, Old English merran “to hinder, waste”; cognate with Old Saxon merrian, Old High German merren “to hinder,” Old Norse merja “to bruise,” Gothic marzjan “to offend”
A mar is a flaw, mark, or blemish, like a deep scratch on a wooden table. As a verb, to mar is to make such an imperfection — like the pen mark that mars your crisp, white shirt. We often think of things that mar as immediately noticeable, like scratches, scars, and blemishes, but sometimes mar describes other ways of ruining something. For example, an unexpected run-in with a difficult person can mar your relaxing day at the beach, just as an unpleasant memory can mar a peaceful state of mind. The thing to remember is, it only takes one scratch, one mean comment, or one negative experience to mar something that is otherwise fine.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the other hand, he is heavily invested in the tournament's success – and may take special efforts to avoid the kind of diplomatic incidents that could mar proceedings.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Presumably, Mayweather scheduled the event as a warmup for the Pacquiao rematch — the only fight of the three that could mar Mayweather’s 50-0 lifetime record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
Such errors mar but do not undermine the book, which leaves the reader with a sense of déjà vu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Gilded fixtures, trim and ornamentation — rumored to be from Home Depot — mar the walls.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2026
She felt jumpy—anxious for the night, hopeful that no fiery disturbances would mar the darkness this time, and worried that her mother would find out she’d gotten in trouble at school.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
The forests come down nearly to the beach, which is covered with thickets of mangroves, avicennias, manchineel-trees, and that species of suriana which the natives call romero de la mar.*
From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Ross, Thomasina
VIII., is this singular entry:—"Robarde Holte of Stubley, hase mar. an ould woman, by whom he hase none issewe, and therefore he wolde not have her name entryed."
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by Roby, John
That is much larger than the firm’s disclosed portfolio of publicly traded stocks, which totaled about $4.7 billion as of Mar. 31.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Similarly, the S&P 500’s RSI is currently 67, having surged from 27.7 on Mar. 30.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026
Meanwhile, the cinnamon roll chain offered a pair of roses: First, it launched Swirled Soda on Mar. 9, inspired by the viral “dirty soda” trend popularized by the Hulu hit.
From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2026
On Thursday, it was 102 degrees in Woodland Hills, surpassing the 96-degree record high temperature for Mar. 19 set in 1997, according to the weather service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026
Private enterprise was supposed to build an industrial duty-free port in Bolivia Mar. Thus far the free market has not accepted the challenge.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Indeid M.A.R. spak with me fowr or fywe dayis syn, and I hew promised his Lo. ane answar within ten dayis at farrest.
From James VI and the Gowrie Mystery by Lang, Andrew
Ye knaw the kingis hwnting vill be schortly, and than sall be best tyme, as M.A.R. has asswred me, that my Lo. has resolved to interpryse that matter.
From James VI and the Gowrie Mystery by Lang, Andrew
The fire has "surpassed all possible and imaginable limits," said Mar Nicolas, mayor of the nearby small town of Brunete, which is hosting around a hundred evacuees.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Researchers from Oregon State University estimate 69,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed in Venezuela’s beachside communities like those in Catia La Mar, a 45-minute drive from Caracas in the devastated coastal state of La Guaira.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Gil was on duty in the basement of the Sol Marino Garden Residences in Catia La Mar, on the Venezuelan coast, when at 6:04 p.m. on that Wednesday, the earth shook and swallowed him.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Prosecutors said it paid for a lifestyle that included two multimillion-dollar homes in Corona del Mar, a luxury apartment in Newport Beach and various luxury vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Every Thursday morning Father Mulligan came to Ayemenem to visit Baby Kochamma’s father, Reverend E. John Ipe, who was a priest of the Mar Thoma church.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Then, if the system is visible from the street, local officials can refuse if it mars the iconic, limestone facades of the city’s Haussmannian buildings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
It really mars what is otherwise a striking finish.
From The Verge ● Jul. 14, 2022
And some moments of highest drama smack of the overkill that mars the film, as when the threat of Woolf’s devastating headaches is marked by pummeling darkness, yawning brasses and instrumental screams.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2022
But while the action ultimately turns as murky as in any Avengers epic, the smug, depersonalized air that often mars those glorified cinematic frat parties is notably absent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2021
People might comment, especially Saint Sarah, who makes it her business to pounce on evidences of grief, bereavement, any occurrence that mars the tra-la-la-la gaiety of everyday life.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
The victory was marred only when star midfielder Ismaël Koné was stretchered off the pitch with a broken leg after going down from a hard tackle.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Notably, no one suggests ‘that these elections were not functional or that they were marred by corruption’.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
If this World Cup has been marred by astronomical ticket prices, that hasn’t put a damper on the tournament in the Pacific Northwest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Dreams of sun-soaked beaches, warm sand and sea air have been dashed, or least marred, by the wallet-busting reality of life in 2026.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
In the city’s everyday life, in nearly all venues, there was little of the racial tensions that marred society throughout the rest of the South.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Heavy, acrid smoke blanketed the eastern United States on Saturday, marring preparations for the weekend's highly awaited World Cup final to be held in an open stadium in New Jersey.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
A cycle of ephemeral emperors, military mutinies and civil wars had begun, marring Rome’s third century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Sandisk’s stock is off fractionally on Tuesday, with the report hardly marring the first anniversary of the split.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
Mass production by agribusinesses is marring the environment, while monoculture farming practices are giving deadly pathogens a biological edge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2024
A faded scar ran down his stomach to his navel, marring the smooth tan skin.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
