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Synonyms

postmark

American  
[pohst-mahrk] / ˈpoʊstˌmɑrk /

noun

  • postmarks
    plural
  1. an official mark stamped on letters and other mail, serving as a cancellation of the postage stamp and indicating the place, date, and sometimes time of sending or receipt.


verb (used with object)

  • postmarks,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • postmarked,
    past participle,  past
  • postmarking
    present participle
  1. to stamp with a postmark.

postmark British  
/ ˈpəʊstˌmɑːk /

noun

  1. any mark stamped on mail by postal officials, such as a simple obliteration, date mark, or indication of route See also cancellation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to put such a mark on mail

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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Nouns

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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Etymology

Origin of postmark

First recorded in 1670–80; post 3 + mark 1

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:

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

“If the postmark is not the same as the city and state of the ‘supposed’ issuing bank, it might be an indication the check is fake.

From MarketWatch Apr. 27, 2026

Tickets go on sale on Friday and are restricted to people with a Bolton postmark.

From BBC Apr. 20, 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

I studied the envelope for a return address but found only a fading postmark that read Cairnholm Is.,

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

Elizabeth Parmelee, a scholar of democracy and civic education at Metropolitan State University of Denver, explained how Colorado orchestrates its elections, which are conducted by mail, but without postmarks.

From Salon Jan. 12, 2026

Postal Service earlier this year may result in later postmarks than you might expect.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 3, 2025

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

They were all from his gentlemen’s club or from various banks, except for one thin, stained envelope with no return address but which bore many colorful postmarks and exotic stamps from distant lands.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

In California, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day are legally counted as they arrive in the days following.

From Salon Jun. 11, 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

Reality television personality Spencer Pratt, who was in second place on election night, saw his lead over Raman steadily erode as mail-in ballots postmarked as late as June 2 were counted.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 9, 2026

Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before election day and received within seven days after the election, as well as any provisional ballots cast, must still be counted, the California secretary of state said.

From BBC Jun. 4, 2026

He checked the envelope: it was postmarked in Paris.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

It says customers use postmarking for their own purposes.

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

“It’s very unfortunate that the Postal Service was unable to fully carry out what they have acknowledged was their responsibility in postmarking the mail,” said state board of elections spokesman John Conklin.

From Washington Times Jul. 26, 2020

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