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
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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.
He says the mark-up is split between the club and brand, with the latter taking about 70%.
From BBC • Nov. 27, 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
Pharmacies and other private weight-loss services will add their own mark-up to consumers, but it means the price rise for patients is unlikely to be as large as initially feared.
From BBC • Aug. 28, 2025
The exact mark-up of the assets on sale - which do not include its listed private equity trust - was unclear.
From Reuters • Apr. 19, 2023
He had his five-frog margin and also he had the grocery mark-up.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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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.