trademark
Americannoun
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trademarks
plural
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any name, symbol, figure, letter, word, or mark adopted and used by a manufacturer or merchant in order to designate specific goods and to distinguish them from those manufactured or sold by others. A trademark is proprietary and is usually registered with the Patent and Trademark Office to assure its exclusive use by its owner or licensee.
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a distinctive mark or feature particularly characteristic of or identified with a person or thing (often used attributively).
her trademark wit and sarcasm.
verb (used with object)
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trademarks,
present (3rd person singular)
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trademarked,
past participle, past
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trademarking
present participle
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to stamp or otherwise place a trademark designation upon.
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to register the trademark of.
noun
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the name or other symbol used to identify the goods produced by a particular manufacturer or distributed by a particular dealer and to distinguish them from products associated with competing manufacturers or dealers. A trademark that has been officially registered and is therefore legally protected is known as a Registered Trademark
-
any distinctive sign or mark of the presence of a person or animal
verb
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to label with a trademark
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to register as a trademark
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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trademarksimple
-
trademarkssimple
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have trademarkedperfect
-
has trademarkedperfect
-
am trademarkingprogressive
-
are trademarkingprogressive
-
is trademarkingprogressive
-
have been trademarkingperfect progressive
-
has been trademarkingperfect progressive
Past
-
trademarkedsimple
-
had trademarkedperfect
-
was trademarkingprogressive
-
were trademarkingprogressive
-
had been trademarkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trademark
Explanation
A trademark is a distinctive feature of something or someone, and to trademark is to brand something, especially in a legal sense. You know how a comedian often has a particular joke she's famous for? That's her trademark. A trademark is something specific to a person that can be used to identify her. The legal sense of trademark is an official representation of a business or product that only they can legally use — like the Nike swoosh or their motto "Just do it."
Vocabulary lists containing trademark
Economics
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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 Lubinets -- who was seen in videos doffing his trademark black cap around Lantratova in an act of gallantry -- said he had consciously opted for a different approach.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
Also included is what has become a trademark for the band’s reissue sets, a gorgeous full-color 100-page book of liner notes, interviews, lyrics, photographs and other assorted documentation.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
At times, Williams was able to use her powerful serve to get out of trouble - fighting off 12 of 16 break points - and the veteran's trademark competitive spirit never wavered.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The band’s trademark sound is dense, layered and lo-fi—sophisticated in terms of arrangement, but inevitably fuzzy and distorted around the edges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
He flashed his trademark Cheshire grin, and his gleaming white teeth seemed to take up half of the vidfeed window.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
In a statement on its website, the agency "strongly recommends to holders of trademarks, slogans, company names and others who do not yet own a .si domain that they register one as soon as possible".
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Through that entity, Hudson applied for a series of trademarks on Belichick’s catchphrases last year, as well as the term “gold digger.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
It’s an album that aligns with each musician’s trademarks — characterized by Lange’s soothing electronica and Reyna’s eclectic elasticity — but an entirely unique work within their respective discographies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The outlet also said that Molly Tea and its affiliated firms had applied for multiple trademarks that were rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
“I have always loved our elm trees which seemed like trademarks on our landscape,” wrote another Wisconsin woman.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
The marketing takeaway: Protecting trademarked IP is critical.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The European Court of Justice confirmed that decision, saying the name OpenAI was not sufficiently distinctive to be trademarked.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Matthew McConaughey trademarked his taffylike delivery of “Alright alright alright.”
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
The nonprofit recently trademarked its name and is in the process of copyrighting its livestream.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2026
The fast-food vendor may own a trademarked phrase or jingle that the public learns to associate with his product.
From The Public Domain Enclosing the Commons of the Mind by James Boyle
EU regulations do not allow trademarking a brand that simply describes a product or service, as that would mean competitors could no longer use those terms in their advertising.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
The University of Cambridge has won its fight to stop a rowing company based in the city trademarking its name.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
Matthew McConaughey is taking a novel legal approach to combat unauthorized artificial-intelligence fakes: trademarking himself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
“Somebody probably already beat me to that,” Sanders said of trademarking “hot garbage.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 10, 2023
The name was chosen because of difficulties Intel had in trademarking a number.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Guy L. Steele
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