What does "marker" mean?
Someone or something that creates marks, particularly; A felt-tipped pen, a marker pen.
Marker
/ˈmɑː(ɹ)kə(ɹ)/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Someone or something that creates marks, particularly; A felt-tipped pen, a marker pen.
- Grammar: marker is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accountant, affix label, agricultural descriptor, aken.
- Useful contrasts: chalk, drawing pencils, eraser.
- Usage evidence: Laurie Marker - founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund - with the late Chewbaaka, a cheetah she raised since he was orphaned almost 16 years ago.
How to use "marker"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "marker" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "marker" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "marker" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "marker" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "marker" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accountant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "marker", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Someone or something that creates marks, particularly; A felt-tipped pen, a marker pen. countable, uncountable
"Don't use the permanent marker on the whiteboard."
- 2 some conspicuous object used to distinguish or mark something wordnet
- 3 Someone or something that creates marks, particularly; A scorekeeper, especially one who tallies billiard scores. countable, uncountable
- 4 a writing implement for making a mark wordnet
- 5 Someone or something that creates marks, particularly; A device that fires a paintball. countable, uncountable
Show 21 more definitions
- 6 a distinguishing symbol wordnet
- 7 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly countable, uncountable
"Board member Phillip Carlson […] said he considers [the election of] Brading to be a marker for the distance the gay and lesbian community has come."
- 8 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; A real or virtual objective, something to be aimed for. countable, uncountable
"Pellegrini insisted this was a game City had to win - this they did and with the sort of performance that put down a marker for how the Chilean wants his team to play."
- 9 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; A location on a stage or set where an actor is to stand or move to during a scene, usually indicated by a small X design placed on the floor. countable, uncountable
- 10 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; A location on a stage or set where an actor is to stand or move to during a scene, usually indicated by a small X design placed on the floor.; A direction issued by a camera operator for actors to be on their locations in readiness for a take. countable, uncountable
- 11 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; Synonym of IOU, an informal record of a debt. US, countable, slang, uncountable
- 12 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; A free or bound morpheme indicating a grammatical function. countable, uncountable
- 13 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; Ellipsis of discourse marker. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 14 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; A gene or DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that can be used to identify individuals or species. countable, uncountable
"Markers are mapped relative to one another on chromosomes and used as signposts against which to map genes of interest that are linked with marker. This process of finding the linked markers/genes is referred to as grouping."
- 15 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; A substance used as an indicator for diagnosis or other analysis, a biomarker. countable, uncountable
"Nurse Hall: Is there any reason we shouldn't do a full workup? / Steve Denube: Ignorance is bliss; that's about it. Hangover's worse than usual but that's probably from the drinking and recreational drug use. / Nurse Hall: We'll ignore the ganja and booger sugar markers."
- 16 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; The soldier who forms the pilot of a wheeling column or marks the direction of an alignment. countable, uncountable
- 17 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; A sewing machine attachment that creases the fabric to mark a line countable, uncountable
- 18 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; A counter, especially one used in card games or backgammon. countable, uncountable
- 19 Someone or something used to mark a position or amount, particularly; Any of various objects that mark a place on the landscape, such as a milepost, blaze, or surveyor's cairn. countable, uncountable
- 20 Someone who assigns marks on tests, examinations, etc.; a grader. UK, countable, uncountable
"So, in his end of term report, what marks would Brown award himself for his time at TfL? "8½," he replies. Why? "I'm a hard marker! […]"
- 21 The ink marks or residue of a felt-tipped pen. colloquial, uncountable
"Susie got marker all over the walls."
- 22 A personal favor owed to someone, whether written or not. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"We may not be able to do this alone. Maybe it’s time to call in some of our markers."
- 23 A formal certification that a company was the first to approach a competition authority to reveal the existence of a cartel, generally entitling it to greater leniency during the cartel's dissolution and punishment. countable, uncountable
- 24 A player on defense used to mark one or more offensive players. countable, uncountable
"He skipped past Marc Wilson before clipping a delicious cross into the Stoke danger zone, where Cisse's sharp movement allowed him to escape marker Robert Huth and send a far-post header crashing against the crossbar. And Cabaye was waiting to pounce on the rebound with a close range header."
- 25 A player employed by a private club to compete against members. countable, dated, uncountable
"The Court itself, with its rent, the wages of the Marker and the tips to the Marker, the rackets and the balls, the baths and the flannels and the washing of the flannels, do much to account for the costliness of play."
- 26 A point, unit of scoring in a game or competition. Philippines, countable, informal, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To mark or write on (something) using a marker
"On one page someone has markered: "Remember, you are your own best thing.""
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Laurie Marker - founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund - with the late Chewbaaka, a cheetah she raised since he was orphaned almost 16 years ago."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "marker"?
Common synonyms include: accountant, affix label, agricultural descriptor, aken, amanuensis, annotation label.
How do you use "marker" in a sentence?
Laurie Marker - founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund - with the late Chewbaaka, a cheetah she raised since he was orphaned almost 16 years ago.
How do you pronounce "marker"?
Pronounced /ˈmɑː(ɹ)kə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
From mark + -er.