watermark

1 of 2

noun

wa·​ter·​mark ˈwȯ-tər-ˌmärk 

ˈwä-

1

: a mark indicating the height to which water has risen

2

: a marking in paper resulting from differences in thickness usually produced by pressure of a projecting design in the mold or on a processing roll and visible when the paper is held up to the light

also : the design of or the metal pattern producing the marking

watermark

2 of 2

verb

watermarked; watermarking; watermarks

transitive verb

1

: to mark (paper) with a watermark

2

: to impress (a given design) as a watermark

Examples of watermark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Its interface is clean and approachable, making advanced tasks like adding watermarks, inserting images, and encrypting sensitive files accessible even for less tech-savvy users. —Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 7 May 2025

The 9-foot bronze Christ of the Abyss was placed in less than 25 feet of water in 1965 and remains one of the Florida Keys’ most iconic landmarks (watermarks?). —Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2025

Verb

OpenAI also watermarks images generated by its GPT-4o model. —Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 1 May 2025

Another precaution is to watermark financial documents with the buyer’s name and the date they were shared. —Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for watermark

• disembark
• matriarch
• meadowlark
• patriarch
• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark
• marc

Kids Definition

watermark

1 of 2 noun

wa·​ter·​mark ˈwȯt-ər-ˌmärk 

ˈwät-

1

: a mark that shows the height to which water has risen

2

: a mark (as the maker's name or trademark) made in paper during manufacture and visible when the paper is held up to the light

watermark

2 of 2 verb

: to mark with a watermark