BLACK MARK Definition & Meaning

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black mark

noun

an indication of failure or censure:
His chronic lateness is a black mark against him.

black mark

noun

an indication of disapproval, failure, etc

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of black mark¹

First recorded in 1835–45

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Idioms and Phrases

An indication of censure or failure, as in If you refuse to work late, won't that be a black mark against you? This phrase alludes to a literal black mark, such as a cross, that was put next to a person's name, indicating that he or she had incurred a rebuke or penalty of some kind. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The theft of the gun while he was out of the guardhouse will be another black mark.

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Allowing this symposium to proceed along the lines laid out in the announcement will be a black mark for Stanford in the scientific community.

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Refusals or questioning led to the withdrawal of athletic sponsorship and a black mark against your name in Stasi files.

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It was a landmark — and, for Trump’s supporters, a black mark — in American history.

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If it met conditions negotiated with the Justice Department until Jan. 7 of this year, Boeing could avoid further sanctions and yet another black mark related to the disaster.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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