postmark

1 of 2

noun

post·​mark ˈpōs(t)-ˌmärk How to pronounce postmark (audio)
: an official postal marking on a piece of mail
specifically : a mark showing the post office and date of mailing

postmark

2 of 2

verb

postmarked; postmarking; postmarks

transitive verb

: to put a postmark on

Examples of postmark in a Sentence

Verb The package was postmarked 13 February.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On its way to your home, your postcard will receive stamps and postmarks from around the world, which usually include the date. Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2023 Some states require that the plan receive and process the deposit prior to year-end, while others just require a postmark. Brian Boswell, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 Travelers will get to help with a variety of tasks, like emptying mailboxes and stamping letters with an Arctic Circle postmark. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2023 Other tasks include stamping mail with a special Arctic Circle postmark, emptying mailboxes, and getting an inside look at all the daily operations. Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 4 Dec. 2023 Each year the town's mailbox is flooded with Christmas cards waiting for that special Santa Claus postmark. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2023 Each of those letters and cards gets affixed with the town's Santa Claus postmark and is then sent along its way to make someone's holiday a little more special. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2023 Pick up some fudge, cookies, chocolates, and candies from the Sweet Shop, or to really impress friends and family back home, mail your letters, souvenirs, gifts, or holiday cards from here with a postmark from North Pole, Alaska. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2023 Trahan also learned that the home even still has postmarks from where the prior owners had installed a gate at one point. Lizzy Rosenberg, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2023
Verb
The bill also bans remote ballot drop boxes and eliminates the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots to arrive if they were postmarked by election day. Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 When mailing ballots, remember they must be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than seven days after Election Day, according to the California Secretary of State. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 If it’s postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day, it must be received by 5 p.m. on March 6. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2024 For example, in California, mail-in ballots must be postmarked by March 5 and received by county election offices by March 12, meaning not all votes will be tallied on Tuesday, especially for races with close margins. Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 Agents with Homeland Security Investigations took over the case and in less than a week found 300 more .50-caliber bullets postmarked for Almeida. Beth Warren, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Entries must be postmarked or time-stamped by midnight, March 15, 2024. John Dorfman, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Though technically a winner could claim their prize through the mail, the envelope claiming the ticket would have to be postmarked on or before Jan. 15. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 If mailed, your application must be postmarked 25 days before the election. USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1678, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1716, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of postmark was in 1678

Dictionary Entries Near postmark

Cite this Entry

“Postmark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postmark. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

postmark

noun
post·​mark
-ˌmärk
: a mark canceling the postage stamp on a piece of mail and giving the date and place of sending
postmark verb

More from Merriam-Webster on postmark

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