trademark

1 of 2

noun

trade·​mark ˈtrād-ˌmärk 

1

: a device (such as a word) pointing distinctly to the origin or ownership of merchandise to which it is applied and legally reserved to the exclusive use of the owner as maker or seller

2

: a distinguishing characteristic or feature firmly associated with a person or thing

wearing his trademark bow tie and derby hat

trademark

2 of 2

verb

trademarked; trademarking; trademarks

transitive verb

: to secure trademark rights for : register the trademark of

Synonyms

Noun

• brand

Examples of trademark in a Sentence

Noun

“Kleenex” is a registered trademark.

Outspokenness has always been his trademark.

Courtesy is the company's trademark.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And in any case, establishing a new category of intellectual property alongside copyrights, patents and trademarks will be a very heavy legislative lift, given the many stakeholders in the issue and with courts and regulatory agencies still sifting through whether existing laws already apply. —Paul Sweeting, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024

The group will, however, hold on to the trademark, rather than giving it up completely. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024

One of chef Sawant’s trademark offerings is the 72-Hour Vodka Panna Cotta ($15) topped with a mint quenelle, then balanced by a milk crumble, white chocolate soil and strawberry compote. —Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024

The fight began when the band’s original bassist Jim Kale obtained the trademark to the Guess Who name in 1986 as the band hadn’t secured the trademark before then. —Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024

These trademarks will limit who can profit off a food with a connection to entire cultures. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

Some of its trademark blue-and-white schools, which educate about 46,000 students across East Jerusalem and the West Bank, hadn’t been painted in a decade. —Claire Parker, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024

Those prints immediately became the trademark of the Pucci style in the world, thanks to the numerous celebrities of the time who stopped by his boutique in Capri. —Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024

The goal here was to make sure a third party doesn’t get a hold of the trademark and to guarantee Chad and Pharrell share in ownership and administration. —Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

Verb

The sound, so iconic it is trademarked, reverberates across the trading floor again just before 4 pm ET, when the stock market closes. —Krystal Hur, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024

Vuitton’s business was strong enough that in 1888, his only son, Georges, trademarked his now-signature checkerboard Damier print. —Lindsay Talbot, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024

In 1935, it was trademarked by the Crescent City's Roosevelt Hotel. —Saveur Editors, Saveur, 14 Feb. 2024

Her character is wonderfully unsure, lacking the motor-mouthed confidence Palmer has since trademarked, and the actress seemlessly disappears within her role. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2023

Because the name was never trademarked, anyone can use it. —Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2024

Is the Green Ticker (a term trademarked by Elkay) helping make the sale? —Alden Wicker, WIRED, 10 Feb. 2024

Each painting depicts one of six Jayhawk logos over the years and are numbered with the year they were trademarked. —Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 1 Feb. 2024

Instead, visitors to its appointment-only showroom must enter a nondescript brick building behind a white picket fence before finding themselves in what founder Don Siegel calls—and has trademarked—The Chipeta Experience. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1881, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

trademark

noun

trade·​mark

ˈtrād-ˌmärk

1

: a device (as a word) that points clearly to the origin or ownership of merchandise to which it is applied and that is legally reserved for use only by the owner

2

: something that identifies a person or thing

trademark verb

Medical Definition

trademark

noun

trade·​mark ˈtrād-ˌmärk 

: a device (as a word or mark) that points distinctly to the origin or ownership of merchandise to which it is applied and that is legally reserved for the exclusive use of the owner compare service mark

Legal Definition

trademark

noun

trade·​mark ˈtrād-ˌmärk 

: a mark that is used by a manufacturer or merchant to identify the origin or ownership of goods and to distinguish them from others and the use of which is protected by law see also dilution, infringement, strong mark, weak mark, Trademark Act of 1946 compare copyright, patent, service mark

Note: The Patent and Trademark Office registers trademarks and service marks that are used in interstate commerce or in intrastate commerce that affects interstate commerce. There are also state registration statutes for marks used in intrastate commerce. A trademark or service mark need not be registered for an owner to enforce his or her rights in court. The common law recognizes ownership of a trademark, established by actual and first use of the mark, but it extends only to the areas or markets where the mark is used. Federal registration of a trademark gives rise to a federal cause of action for infringement in addition to the common-law claim. Registration also serves as evidence of the owner's exclusive right to the continuous use and validity of the mark, and as constructive notice to the world of the claim to the mark. To be a valid trademark at common law and for federal registration, a mark must be distinctive; a descriptive mark may become distinctive by acquiring secondary meaning.