watermark

1 of 2

noun

wa·​ter·​mark ˈwȯ-tər-ˌmärk How to pronounce watermark (audio)
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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
There can be little doubt that Serie A of the 1980s and 1990s was the high watermark in club football history. Emmet Gates, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023 On-Screen Appearances: The late horror baron Stuart Gordon's Dolls (1987) is a high-watermark of the killer doll genre, eclipsed only by Chucky and his venerable franchise. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2023 Some of the images also featured the Getty watermark, but with garbled text. Matt O'brien And Arijeta Lajka, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Jan. 2023 How many of us really need or want to hit that high a watermark in our own careers? Mike Rucker, Time, 12 Jan. 2023 Per the Academy guidelines, this covers the cost of an invisible watermark and its technical team’s extensive quality control review. Clayton Davis, Variety, 2 Nov. 2022 The iconic session was the high watermark for band unity. Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2022 Wilding’s search for the monogram turned up another Galileo document at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, which had a slightly different watermark with the same monogram. New York Times, 17 Aug. 2022 The Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Chrono is a new high watermark for the genre. Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 2022
Verb
Some watermark their composites with original logos. Fawnia Soo Hoo, refinery29.com, 24 Aug. 2021 Artists who are concerned about digital piracy should watermark their photos. arkansasonline.com, 26 Mar. 2021 Bluitt has tried to watermark her photos, but they are stolen anyway. Keith Bierygolick, The Enquirer, 16 Nov. 2020 There are even mobile apps like eZy Watermark (iOS, Android) that will watermark your smartphone photos. Harry Guinness, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2020 However, these images are now watermarked, and Top Nine charges $2.99 to remove it and $2.99 to create a video of the nine images, or $3.99 for both. Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2019 The script, indeed, appeared on the consumer-to-consumer website with Boyega’s name watermarked on every page, according to the actor. Nick Romano, EW.com, 28 Nov. 2019 But to help smooth things over, the original tape will be destroyed and all copies watermarked, according to court documents obtained by Billboard. Tatiana Cirisano, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2019 At the same time, the image itself degraded, growing more compressed and watermarked with more layers of text scribbled out and written over again. Verge Staff, The Verge, 27 Dec. 2018 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'watermark.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of watermark was in 1577

Dictionary Entries Near watermark

Cite this Entry

“Watermark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/watermark. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

watermark

1 of 2 noun
wa·​ter·​mark ˈwȯt-ər-ˌmärk How to pronounce watermark (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on watermark

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