INDEX:
1. a mark on something that spoils its appearance
2. to make a mark
3. a mark on someone’s skin
4. a mark made by a particular person, thing, or animal
RELATED WORDS
a mark in a test or exam : ↑ GRADE
see also
↑ DIRTY
↑ CLEAN
↑ SPOIL
↑ WASH
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1. a mark on something that spoils its appearance
▷ mark /mɑːʳk/ [countable noun]
a spot or line on clothes, furniture, a wall, or floor etc, for example where it has been damaged, made dirty, or where someone has dropped liquid on it :
▪ There are marks on the door where the cat has scratched it.
make a mark
▪ Hot cups of tea can make marks on polished tables.
dirty/greasy/sticky mark
▪ How did you get that dirty mark on your T-shirt?
dirt/grease/pencil mark
▪ His shoes had left dirt marks across the carpet.
▷ stain /steɪn/ [countable noun]
a large mark that is difficult to remove, made when a liquid such as coffee or wine falls onto something :
▪ I can’t get this stain out of the carpet.
grass/coffee/wine/blood stain
▪ Salt is the best cure for a red wine stain.
stained [adjective]
with a stain on it :
▪ She pushed the crumpled, stained sheets into the washing-machine.
stain with
▪ His clothes were torn and stained with blood.
▷ spot /spɒtǁspɑːt/ [countable noun]
a small round area on a surface, which is of a different colour from the rest of the surface and is made especially by drops of liquid :
spot of
▪ Detectives found a few spots of blood on the carpet.
ink/paint/oil spots
▪ The letter was covered in small ink spots, as though his hand had been shaking as he wrote it.
▷ patch /pætʃ/ [countable noun] especially British
an area where dirt, water, oil etc has made a mark on a floor, wall, or ceiling :
greasy/dirty/damp patch
▪ There’s a damp patch under the window.
patch of dirt/damp/grease
▪ Patches of grease covered the kitchen walls.
▷ smudge /smʌdʒ/ [countable noun]
a dirty mark made when ink or paint is accidentally rubbed on a surface :
▪ You can’t hand your homework in with those smudges all over it.
smudge of
▪ Ella had a smudge of green paint on her cheek.
2. to make a mark
▷ stain /steɪn/ [transitive verb]
to make a large mark on something, which is difficult to remove :
▪ The blackberry juice had stained their clothes and fingers.
▪ She hoped the blood from the cut on her arm would not stain her blouse.
▷ mark /mɑːʳk/ [transitive verb]
to damage the surface of something by making a mark on it :
▪ Put the lid on your pen so it doesn’t mark the tablecloth.
▷ leave a mark/leave a stain /ˌliːv ə ˈmɑːʳk, ˌliːv ə ˈsteɪn/ [verb phrase]
to make a mark or stain on something, often without realizing you have done this :
leave a mark/leave a stain on
▪ The children walked through the kitchen in their boots, leaving muddy marks on the floor.
▪ Builders’ sand leaves an orange stain on paths.
3. a mark on someone’s skin
▷ mark /mɑːʳk/ [countable noun]
a small area of skin that is a different colour from the rest of someone’s skin :
▪ He had two little marks on his face where his glasses had been.
▪ She squeezed me so hard, she left a mark on my arm.
▷ pimple also spot British /zit informal /ˈpɪmp ə l, spɒtǁspɑːt, zɪt/ [countable noun]
a small raised red mark, especially on someone’s face, that appears suddenly and remains for a short time, often on young people :
▪ He had a large red pimple on his nose.
▪ When she was younger she had lovely skin, except for the occasional spot.
▪ I can’t go out tonight with this zit on my face!
come out in spots
▪ Call the doctor if you come out in spots or rashes.
pimply American spotty British [adjective]
covered in pimples :
▪ a youth with a pale pimply face
▪ She came up in a spotty irritating rash.
▷ freckle /ˈfrek ə l/ [countable noun]
a very small, light-brown mark, usually on the face and arms, which some light-skinned people have from birth or get when they spend time in the sun :
▪ Sarah had freckles and red hair.
freckled [adjective]
covered in freckles :
▪ The little boys were freckled and fair-haired.
▪ Her sleeves were rolled up, showing her strong, freckled arms.
▷ scar /skɑːʳ/ [countable noun]
a permanent mark left after a cut or wound has become healthy again :
▪ He had a scar across his forehead from hitting his head on the bottom of a swimming pool.
leave a scar
▪ They say the wound’s quite deep, and will probably leave a scar.
scarred [adjective]
skin that is scarred has a scar or scars on it :
▪ He had black hair and a scarred face.
▪ He was scarred from a bullet during the war.
▷ bruise /bruːz/ [countable noun]
a purple or brown mark on your skin that you get because you have fallen, been hit etc :
▪ How did you get that bruise on your shoulder?
▪ I banged into the shelf so hard that I got an ugly purple bruise on my hip.
bruised [adjective]
covered by a bruise :
▪ a bruised wrist
▷ blotch /blɒtʃǁblɑːtʃ/ [countable noun]
a large coloured mark caused by illness :
▪ He had no idea what was causing the red blotches on his skin.
▪ I first noticed the purple blotches on my neck on Thursday.
blotchy [adjective]
▪ Her face was all blotchy and her hair was a mess.
▷ blemish /ˈblemɪʃ/ [countable noun]
a small mark that spoils the appearance of someone’s skin :
▪ Her skin was perfect -- not a blemish on it.
▷ birthmark /ˈbɜːʳθmɑːʳk/ [countable noun]
a mark, usually red or brown, which is on someone’s skin when they are born and remains there all their life :
▪ The police identified the girl from a birthmark on her leg.
4. a mark made by a particular person, thing, or animal
▷ mark /mɑːʳk/ [countable noun]
▪ There are marks on the tarmac where the car left the road.
finger/tyre/claw marks
▪ I don’t think the tractor came this way - there are no tyre marks in the mud.
▪ You could see the claw marks on his body where the animal had attacked.
▷ footprint /ˈfʊtprɪnt/ [countable noun usually plural]
a mark left on the ground by the foot of a person or animal :
▪ He ran into the hallway, leaving wet footprints behind him.
▪ The footprints in the yard were too big to be a dog’s.
▷ paw print /ˈpɔː prɪnt/ [countable noun]
a mark left by the foot of an animal such as a cat or dog :
▪ The dog had left muddy paw prints all across the kitchen floor.
▷ tracks /træks/ [plural noun]
a line of marks left on the ground by a moving animal, person or vehicle :
▪ We followed the wheel tracks across the field.
▪ The tracks, which looked like a fox’s, led directly into the forest.
▷ fingerprints/prints /ˈfɪŋgəʳprɪnts, prɪnts/ [plural noun]
the marks of a person’s fingers, which cannot usually be seen without using a special powder, used by police to catch criminals :
▪ The police were examining the doors and windows, looking for fingerprints.
▪ Her prints were identified on one of the glasses.
have your fingerprints taken
▪ I had my fingerprints taken when I applied for a work permit.