marker

American  

[mahr-ker] / ˈmɑr kər /

noun

• markers
  plural

1. a person or thing that marks.

2. something used as a mark or indication, as a bookmark or tombstone.

3. a person who records the scores, points, etc., as in a game or contest.

4. a counter used in card playing.

5. Digital Technology. a navigation pointer or other indicator in a graphical user interface: Place markers at the beginning and end of your selection to trim your video in edit mode.

   Dragging the marker up the sound bar will increase the volume.

   Place markers at the beginning and end of your selection to trim your video in edit mode.

6. Genetics. genetic marker.

7. Psychology. an object, as a book or topcoat left at a library table, used to establish territorial possession in a public place.

8. Linguistics.

   1. an element of a construction, as a coordinating conjunction, that is not a part of either immediate constituent.

   2. an element that indicates the grammatical class or function of a construction.

9. a small radio beacon, automatically operated, used for local navigation of vessels.

10. mile-marker.

11. Also called marker pen,.  Also called marking pen.  a pen designed for making bold, colorful, or indelible marks, as in making signs or identifying objects.

12. Slang.

    1. a debt, especially a gambling debt.

    2. a written or signed promise to pay a debt, especially a gambling debt; a promissory note or IOU.

13. Also called marker crude.  Commerce. a grade of oil on which prices of other crude oils are based.

14. Citizens Band Radio Slang. one's location while driving on a highway, as determined by the nearest milepost.

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marker British  

/ ˈmɑːkə /

noun

1. 1. something used for distinguishing or marking

   2. ( as modifier )

      a marker buoy

2. a person or thing that marks

3. a person or object that keeps or shows scores in a game

4. a trait, condition, gene, or substance that indicates the presence of, or a probable increased predisposition to, a medical or psychological disorder See biological marker genetic marker medical marker

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• markers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of marker

First recorded in 1480–90; mark ¹ + -er ¹

Explanation

A marker is an ink-filled pen with a wide tip. Kids often use washable markers, while adults are usually trusted with the permanent type. Permanent markers contain ink that can't be washed away, and they're useful for labeling and marking things like cardboard boxes and file folders. Another kind of marker is a highlighter, which you can use to make important words or phrases in a book stand out with a line of translucent neon ink. A different meaning of marker is "something that marks a route or specific place." Markers along a hiking trail help keep you from getting lost.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marker markers

Val Moreno looks like he’s enjoying every minute while volunteering to hold the down marker at Servite High home football games as part of the Friars’ chain crew.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Risk tolerance is the subjective marker in this trio.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

This was a marker from England for the rest of this event and the Olympics in two years' time, when Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can add reinforcements too.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

An increase, above all, would lay down a marker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

There were several more trips out to sea, but almost none without something going wrong, and once, not following the channel marker buoys, the Warden ran the Lady Gin aground.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Compared with untreated animals, they lost less weight, had lower levels of inflammatory markers, and developed less severe tissue damage.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

In some cases, you can even find vehicle-inspired first-aid kits that include items such as emergency blankets, flashlights, road flares, emergency markers, and more.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Although GPS satellites are U.S.-owned military hardware, the reference frame relies on an international patchwork of aging radio-telescopes staring at quasars, laser-ranging stations and physical ground markers anchored to shifting tectonic plates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

By watching how the reference markers lined up during assembly, they could carefully set the rotation angle between the two layers.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026

Mom stops at three markers made from a speckly granite—Theodore Nelson, Beverly Nelson, Michael Nelson.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Related Words

• flag
• gravestone
• indicator
• pole
• stone
• tombstone