mark out
phrasal verb
marked out; marking out; marks out
1
: to indicate (a route on a map) with marks
I have marked out the best way to get to my ranch.
2
: to draw lines around (something) so that it can be clearly seen
He marked out his mining claim.
3
: to plan the details of (a course of action)
She talked about the course the European Union has marked out for itself.
4
chiefly British
: to show that (someone or something) is special or different in some way
Her very first book marked her out as a great poet.
She was marked out for greatness.
Examples of mark out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The trails are marked out in short segments, most of which are less than a mile.
—
Brian Higgins, Outside Online, 20 May 2025
It was used to mark out gay and transgender people in concentration camps.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
To visualize the fit before buying, use painter’s tape to mark out the rug’s dimensions.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2025
One boy makes a line in the sand to mark out the pitch.
—Adam Leventhal, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024
So the sense was this was much more about sort of marking out what do nations want.
—Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2015
The circle of what is acceptable to joke about is shrinking, the comedian said, as first religion and then politics have been marked out of bounds.
—Alex Travelli, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
In contrast, many of the stars hosting exoplanets are too faint to be seen with the naked eye, which marks out HD 20794 as something special.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2025
The discovery that the final rune, F, was marked out with puncts, or dots, to either side, indicating it could be understood as the name of the F-rune itself ‘feoh’ [wealth or property] unlocked the new translation.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brian Higgins, Outside Online, 20 May 2025
It was used to mark out gay and transgender people in concentration camps.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
To visualize the fit before buying, use painter’s tape to mark out the rug’s dimensions.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2025
One boy makes a line in the sand to mark out the pitch.
—Adam Leventhal, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024
So the sense was this was much more about sort of marking out what do nations want.
—Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2015
The circle of what is acceptable to joke about is shrinking, the comedian said, as first religion and then politics have been marked out of bounds.
—Alex Travelli, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
In contrast, many of the stars hosting exoplanets are too faint to be seen with the naked eye, which marks out HD 20794 as something special.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2025
The discovery that the final rune, F, was marked out with puncts, or dots, to either side, indicating it could be understood as the name of the F-rune itself ‘feoh’ [wealth or property] unlocked the new translation.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mark out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mark%20out. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share