postmark
Americannoun
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postmarks
plural
verb (used with object)
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postmarks,
present (3rd person singular)
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postmarked,
past participle, past
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postmarking
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
postmarksimple
-
postmarkssimple
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have postmarkedperfect
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has postmarkedperfect
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am postmarkingprogressive
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are postmarkingprogressive
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is postmarkingprogressive
-
have been postmarkingperfect progressive
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has been postmarkingperfect progressive
Past
-
postmarkedsimple
-
had postmarkedperfect
-
was postmarkingprogressive
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were postmarkingprogressive
-
had been postmarkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of postmark
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:
But the audit found that in 10 of 82 facilities, or about 12%, management wasn’t aware of the proper way to postmark a ballot.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Mail-in ballots with an election day postmark will continue to be accepted by county election officials through Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
Make sure to see the envelope handstamped with the postmark instead of tossing the letter in the mailbox, O’Saben added.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026
Fourteen US states allow mail-in ballots to be tallied after the date of the election if they bear a postmark by Election Day.
From Barron's ● Mar. 23, 2026
But the envelope’s postmark was fifteen years old.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
Because California postmarks mail-in ballots up to Election Day and allows them a full week to arrive to ensure every single vote — including overseas military personnel — is counted, the process takes time.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
But a lifelong interest in stamps and postmarks seem to have led to him taking letters that caught his eye.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025
States set their own election laws, and most rely on postmarks to determine if a vote was cast in time.
From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2024
Its postmarks can legally serve as documentation of when an item was mailed, whether a postcard or a ballot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2021
“I am sorry we didn’t find your mom. Looking for postmarks was a cool idea.”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
That included a facility in Pennsylvania on the state’s primary election day, which caused 56 ballots to be postmarked with the wrong date.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Monday upheld state laws that count mailed ballots if they are postmarked by Election Day but arrive a few days afterward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
This delayed overtaking of Pratt by Raman was largely expected, because California’s vote-by-mail system accepts ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days of the election.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
California currently provides a grace period for ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by and received within seven days of election day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
“Mum must have put the mail under your door. Interesting. This is postmarked just yesterday. And it’s addressed to you, not Jakob,” says Colin.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Also, at five of nine mail processing facilities studied, retail clerks who were postmarking ballots by hand sometimes used stamps with inaccurate dates, according to the report.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Postal Service, however, hasn’t viewed the record-keeping use of postmarking as a service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Communities located outside the circles are affected by the postmarking change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2025
Most postmarking takes place in Anchorage, a day or more away by mail from most of the state.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2020
First of all, there’s a difference in messaging between mailing and postmarking.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2020
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.
