mark

/mɑːk/ noun

Definition

› [C] a small area on a surface that is damaged, dirty, a different colour, etc.: She returned the garment because it had a mark on the front.

› [C] a symbol or sign which is used for showing where or what something is: For every customer who comes through the door, put a mark in this column.

› [S] a level that is important in some way: the million dollar/10-billion/30-minute, etc. mark The Dow Jones Index broke through the 5,100 mark.pass/top/exceed the ... mark Sales have already passed the million mark.

› [C] a number or score saying how good something is or how well someone has done: We give them a mark out of ten for service, food quality, and value for money.

a mark of sth › something that shows or proves a particular quality, feeling, etc.: With wine, an appellation is not necessarily a mark of quality. On the day of his funeral, the factory closed early as a mark of respect.

leave your/its mark on sb/sth › to have an effect that changes someone or something, often in a bad way: The hurricane continues to leave its mark on abandoned strip malls and empty houses.

make a/your mark (on sth) › to have an important effect on something: He is beginning to make his mark on the shape and direction of the Wall Street firm. I was very ambitious, and I wanted to make a mark.

off the mark › not correct: His criticisms are way off the mark. You may only be guessing, but you are not far off the mark. › not at the level that was expected: It is difficult to pinpoint why sales are off the mark. Why are his projections so far off the mark?

up to the mark › good enough: Her latest batch of work just isn't up to the mark.

(Definition of mark noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)