1
: a mark of identification on the ear of an animal
2
: a distinguishing mark
all the earmarks of poverty
3
: a provision in Congressional legislation that allocates a specified amount of money for a specific project, program, or organization
earmarked; earmarking; earmarks
1
a
: to mark (livestock) with an earmark
b
: to mark in a distinguishing manner
2
: to designate (something, such as funds) for a specific use or owner
money earmarked for education
Examples of earmark in a Sentence
Verb
The project uses funds that had been earmarked for education.
the earnings from my second job have been earmarked for a down payment on a car
Recent Examples on the Web
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025
Seabed mining, hydrography, disaster relief and cultural ties are areas the pact earmarks for cooperation.
—Reuters, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2025
Tim Carman The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Wood took to Instagram last week to clarify that these fees are earmarked specifically for athletic investment and cannot be reappropriated to help address the budget gap.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earmark
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Noun
At the meeting, Cook talked about a $500 billion earmark for U.S. spending announced on Monday that was hailed by Trump.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025
Seabed mining, hydrography, disaster relief and cultural ties are areas the pact earmarks for cooperation.
—Reuters, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
The money earmarked for biosecurity would help farmers who have been channeling millions of their own dollars to improve security.
—Tim Carman The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Wood took to Instagram last week to clarify that these fees are earmarked specifically for athletic investment and cannot be reappropriated to help address the budget gap.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earmark
Cite this Entry
“Earmark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earmark. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
earmark
1 of 2 noun
ear·mark
ˈi(ə)r-ˌmärk 
1
: a mark of identification on the ear of an animal
2
: a mark or quality by which something can be identified
the earmarks of success
earmark
2 of 2 verb1
: to mark with or as if with an earmark
2
: to set aside for a special purpose
money earmarked for a vacation
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