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
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 In its first week of availability–which was marred by a number of controversies and even a short period when the set was pulled from major streaming platforms–Vultures 1 moved 148,000 equivalent units. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 But a sloppy game was marred by 11 turnovers and a rib injury to Colts QB Johnny Unitas. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Their approach is based on the principle that each client receives the utmost attention, a rarity in a landscape often marred by a one-size-fits-all mentality. Nick Kasmik, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 According to Hotak’s son, the last few chapters of the book were hastily written, marred by grammatical errors, confusing jumps in time, and long, sentimental monologues. Jamil Jan Kochai, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Environments marred by negativity or toxicity, devoid of psychological safety and inclusivity, force employees into a defensive stance to shield their mental and emotional well-being, ultimately resulting in disengagement. Naz Beheshti, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Hayward’s days with the Hornets have been marred by injuries, something that puts extra burden on the bench players and throws a kink in the rotation. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 8 Feb. 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 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mar

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

More from Merriam-Webster on mar

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