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 of marker

• label

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

Vice Mayor Kris Cruzada also suggested relocating the historical marker to a more prominent location on the property and perhaps adding benches near it to provide a place for people to sit and enjoy it. — Brian Bell, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026

LaBute was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay, which in and of itself should be a marker of the film’s quality given the Razzies’ consistent knack for being on the wrong side of history. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2026

Sheriff’s officials said street signs could be difficult to see amid the large crowds, so reference markers would be placed on telephone poles along the parade route to help people identify their locations. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Paide prefers to use simple file folders to organize her papers, and likes labeling those folders with sticky notes written with permanent markers. — Andee Tagle, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing marker

• genetic marker

Rhymes for marker

• barker
• darker
• starker
• biomarker

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