mar

1 of 4

verb

marred; marring

transitive verb

1
: to ruin or diminish the perfection or wholeness of : spoil
whose life has been marred by problems with drugsWilliam Plummer
their relations were marred by disgraceful conflictsL. W. Beck
the race was marred by a 23-car pileupMike Harris
2
archaic
a
: to inflict serious bodily harm on
b

mar

2 of 4

noun

: something that mars : blemish

mar

3 of 4

abbreviation (1)

maritime

Mar

4 of 4

abbreviation (2)

March
Choose the Right Synonym for mar

injure, harm, hurt, damage, impair, mar mean to affect injuriously.

injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Examples of mar in a Sentence

Verb A large scar marred his face. Her acting mars an otherwise great movie. Noun the Johnsons complained to the movers about broken dishes and mars on the furniture
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The rollout of the new FAFSA, which Congress approved in December 2020 and promised a simplified process for students to submit information to schools, has been marred by glitches and other delays. María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 That’s a challenge for any country, particularly one whose history has been marred by a multibillion dollar corruption scandal involving its sovereign wealth fund. Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 His final four seasons with the A’s were marred by a myriad of injuries, and he was released in 2022 while batting just .190 through 42 games. Jon Becker, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 Harris is a pastor who ran for Congress in 2018, when his campaign was marred by election fraud. Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 His commitment to environmental leadership has been marred by his decision to turn Brazil into the latest petrostate. Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2024 The stresses of adapting to work after your college years have been a universal struggle, marred by new routines, unsatisfying jobs, and the loss of your social life. Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 26 Feb. 2024 This year's Oscars race come after a bruising 2023 that was marred by strikes and work stoppages for the cinema world, throwing production and release schedules into chaos. Leanne Italie, Quartz, 2 Mar. 2024 The group has also been marred by quality concerns both in and out of the car. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English marren, from Old English mierran to obstruct, waste; akin to Old High German merren to obstruct

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1551, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mar was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near mar

Cite this Entry

“Mar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mar. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mar

verb
ˈmär
marred; marring
: to make a blemish on : spoil

More from Merriam-Webster on mar

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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