mark-up
noun
a percentage or amount added to the cost of a commodity to provide the seller with a profit and to cover overheads, costs, etc
mark-up
Britishnoun
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a percentage or amount added to the cost of a commodity to provide the seller with a profit and to cover overheads, costs, etc
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an increase in the price of a commodity
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the amount of this increase
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verb
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to add a percentage for profit, overheads, etc, to the cost of (a commodity)
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to increase the price of
mark up
Idioms
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Deface by drawing, cutting, or another means of covering something with marks. For example, John was punished for marking up his desk , or These shoes really mark up the floor .
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Raise the price of something, as in This small shop marks up its merchandise much more than department stores do . [Second half of 1800s]
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:
Like many others, McIntosh hoped to get his hands on the brightly coloured watch -- sold in store for $400 to $420 to resell it immediately at a huge mark-up.
From Barron's ● May 16, 2026
There are concerns some stallholders are bulk-buying mass produced items off the internet, then selling them at a substantial mark-up at events marketed as Cornish craft fairs.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
Resale platforms and ticket touts often list tickets at a huge mark-up on their face value price, sparking outrage from the music industry and fans alike.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
He told me there was no mark-up on the casks they bought for investors, and they only made money down the line from the sale of those casks.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025
He had his five-frog margin and also he had the grocery mark-up.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Amazon and other online marketplaces created a boom for drop-shippers to mark up products without providing any further value to customers.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Though there has been discourse over the years around whether this can actually damage the sleeve, many sellers champion an “in the shrink” label as they mark up prices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Then they immediately mark up the holding to its stated NAV.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
But professional forecasters are beginning to mark up their inflation projections in this area, too.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025
Whenever you notes a gent afar off with a fire goin' an' a yearlin' throwed an' hawg-tied ready to mark up a heap with his own private hieroglyphics, don't you-all go pesterin' 'round him.
From Wolfville Days by Alfred Henry Lewis
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.
