mar

1 of 4

verb

ˈmär 

marred; marring

transitive verb

1

: to ruin or diminish the perfection or wholeness of : spoil

… whose life has been marred by problems with drugs …

—William Plummer

their relations were marred by disgraceful conflicts

—L. W. Beck

the race was marred by a 23-car pileup

—Mike Harris

2

archaic

a

: to inflict serious bodily harm on

b

: destroy

mar

2 of 4

noun

: something that mars : blemish

mar

3 of 4

abbreviation (1)

maritime

Mar

4 of 4

abbreviation (2)

March

Synonyms of mar

Verb

• taint
• spoil
• stain
• darken
• poison
• tarnish
• touch

Noun

• defect
• scar
• blotch
• mark
• stain

Choose the Right Synonym for mar

injure, harm, hurt, damage, impair, mar mean to affect injuriously.

injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Examples of mar in a Sentence

Verb

A large scar marred his face.

Her acting mars an otherwise great movie.

Noun

the Johnsons complained to the movers about broken dishes and mars on the furniture

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The announcement comes as consumer demand for plug-in hybrids has slowed and federal support for electric powertrains has vanished, while, simultaneously, certain Stellantis 4xe vehicles have been marred by continuous recalls. —Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 9 Jan. 2026

Their union was marred by affairs on both sides, perhaps most notably Charles’s ongoing affair with the former Camilla Parker Bowles (now Queen Camilla). —Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 8 Jan. 2026

The deal has largely held, though it has been marred by mutual accusations of violations. —Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026

Some might go so far as to call Stout and Collins the 49ers’ best defenders this season, one marred by injuries to Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and first-round pick Mykel Williams. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English marren, from Old English mierran to obstruct, waste; akin to Old High German merren to obstruct

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1551, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mar

• ar
• are
• bar
• barr
• car
• carr
• char
• charr
• czar
• far
• farre
• haar

Kids Definition

mar

verb

ˈmär

marred; marring

: to make a blemish on : spoil