postmark

1 of 2

noun

post·​mark ˈpōs(t)-ˌmärk 

: an official postal marking on a piece of mail

specifically : a mark showing the post office and date of mailing

postmark

2 of 2

verb

postmarked; postmarking; postmarks

transitive verb

: to put a postmark on

Examples of postmark in a Sentence

Verb

The package was postmarked 13 February.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Postmarks are generally applied at those processing facilities, Hagen said, so the postmark date may not reflect the date the mail was collected by a letter carrier, dropped off at a retail location, or placed in a collection box. —Vanessa Martínez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026

Starting in 2026, the USPS will no longer guarantee same-day postmarks on mailed returns, meaning taxpayers who wait until April 15 to drop their envelope in a mailbox risk having the IRS treat it as late. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026

Verb

But Cain says up to 31 mail in ballots could still be on the way as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday. —Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026

While April 15 is when federal (and most state) taxes are due, the IRS considers any tax return postmarked on or before that date as being filed on time, even if it's not received by the agency until days later. —Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1678, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1716, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for postmark

• ballpark
• benchmark
• birthmark
• daymark
• earmark
• embark
• hallmark
• landmark
• monarch
• remark
• skylark
• tetrarch

Kids Definition

postmark

noun

post·​mark

-ˌmärk

: a mark canceling the postage stamp on a piece of mail and giving the date and place of sending

postmark verb