marker

noun

mark·​er ˈmär-kər 

1

: one that marks

2

: something used for marking: such as

a

: a type of felt tip pen that makes wide lines

drew a tree with green and brown markers

used a permanent marker to label the boxes

b

: any of various sewing devices for making or indicating guidelines

a pin marker for hemlines

3

: score sense 7

specifically : run

4

: promissory note, iou

5

: something that serves to identify, predict, or characterize: such as

a

: biomarker

b

: genetic marker

Synonyms

• label
• tag
• ticket

Examples of marker in a Sentence

A person's accent can be a marker of social class.

the markers on the rock and mineral specimens were old and faded

Recent Examples on the Web

The group’s population is diverse, growing and constantly changing, as are the attitudes on the markers of Latino identity. —Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

This medication has shown promise in managing markers of fasting blood sugar levels, and hemoglobin A1c with people who have Type 2 diabetes. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024

Troopers were called at 7:12 p.m. Monday, April 1, about a crash between a Hyundai sedan and 2022 International tractor-trailer at mile marker 206 in Spalding County, Georgia State Patrol said in a preliminary report. —Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

By Chad de Guzman April 3, 2024 7:15 AM EDT Hong Kong no longer requires transgender people to undergo full gender-affirming surgery to change their legal gender markers in their IDs, more than a year after the Chinese enclave’s top court called the requirement unconstitutional. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024

Bjorkstrand and Wright also scored in the first period for the Kraken, goals sandwiched around a power play marker by Fabian Zetterlund at the 14:19 mark. Blackwood, making his fourth straight start, made seven saves in the first period and eight more in the second. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024

Although Bay View has changed quite a bit since its days as a blue-collar neighborhood, historical markers of its past still stand. —Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024

Throughout the exhibition, blood is a marker of authenticity and something that is both life affirming and disgusting. —Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024

The blooms became the markers of an elegant, upscale home from the 1830s onward. —The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing marker

• genetic marker

Kids Definition

marker

noun

mark·​er ˈmär-kər 

1

: one that marks

2

: something used for marking

Medical Definition

marker

noun

mark·​er ˈmär-kər 

: something that serves to identify, predict, or characterize

a surface marker on a cell that acts as an antigen

: as

a

: biomarker

The recent discovery of a serological marker for the hepatitis C virus has greatly improved diagnostic accuracy for this form of hepatitis.

—Gary P. Wormser, letter in The Journal of the American Medical Association

b

: genetic marker

The idea in genetic linkage analysis is to see if any particular marker, which serves as a signpost for a specific region of a chromosome, is consistently inherited along with the disease …

—Leslie Roberts, Science

called also marker gene