mar

M3A1R1
UK/mɑː(ɹ)/US/mɑɹ/US[mɑɹ]US[mɑ˞]

verb

To spoil; to ruin; to scathe; to damage.

Very commonScrabble 5

Meanings

mar1

verbmar (third-person singular simple present mars, present participle marring, simple past and past participle marred)

present singular third person mars · participle present marring · participle past marred · past marred · alternative obsolete marre

  1. transitiveTo spoil; to ruin; to scathe; to damage.

    Prospero: […]huſh, and be mute / Or elſe our ſpell is mar'd.

    1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]
    5 more examples

    […] and putteth ether many a good mā by ignorance in ieopardy of his life, or marreth good medicines to the great diſhoneſtie both of the Phiſician and of Goddes worthy creatures, the herbes and medecines:

    1551, William Turner, “Prologe”, in A new Herball, etc., folio Aiiii

    Ire, envy, and despair / Marred all his borrowed visage, and betrayed / Him counterfeit.

    1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker under Creed Church neer Aldgate; and by Robert Boulter at the Turks Head in Bishopsgate-street; and Matthias Walker, under St. Dunstons Church in Fleet-street, →OCLC

    Mother, tho' wiſe your ſelf, my Counſel weigh; / 'Tis much unſafe my Sire to disobey; / Not only you provoke him to your Coſt, / But Mirth is marr'd, and the good Chear is loſt.

    1700, [John] Dryden, “Homer’s Ilias”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, book I, page 218

    […] I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

    1826, Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments: The Text Printed from the Most Correct Copies of the Present Authorized Translation, including the Marginal Readings and Parallel Texts. With a Commentary and Critical Notes. Designed as a Help to a Better Understanding of the Sacred Writings, Royal Octavo Stereotype edition, volume IV, New York, N.Y.: Published by N. Bangs and J. Emory, for the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the Conference Office, 13, Crosby-Street, Jeremiah 18:3–4, page 53

    Sin defiles the soul; it mars its beauty, impairs its health and vigor. It perverts its powers, and deranges all its dignified energies and attributes.

    1856, Jabez Burns, “The Heralds of Mercy”, in Cyclopedia of Sermons: Containing Sketches of Sermons on the Parables and Miracles of Christ, on Christian Missions, on Scripture Characters and Incidents; on Subjects Appropriate for the Sick Room, Family Reading and Village Worship and some Special Occasions, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, 346 & 348 Broadway, →OCLC, page 253
nounmar (plural mars)

plural mars · alternative obsolete marre

  1. A blemish.

    For concealing deep mars, some manufacturers offer putty sticks in colors that match their panels.

    1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 68

mar2

nounmar (plural mars)

plural mars

  1. alternativeAlternative form of mere (“a body of standing water”).

mar3

nounmar (plural mars)

plural mars

  1. alternativeobsoleteAlternative form of mayor and mair.

Mar4

proper noun
  1. abbreviationAbbreviation of March.

Mar5

proper noun
  1. An earldom in the Scottish peerage.

Mar6

nounMar (plural Mars)

plural Mars · alternative Mor · alternative Mart

  1. A title of respect in Syriac, given to all saints and also used before the Christian names of bishops.

MAR7

proper noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Mar (“March”).
nounMAR (uncountable)
  1. abbreviationinitialismuncountableInitialism of modified aspect ratio.
adjectiveMAR (not comparable)
  1. abbreviationnot comparableAbbreviation of maroon (an eye color).
  2. abbreviationinitialismnot comparablemathematicsInitialism of missing at random.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe month following February and preceding April

Similar
Broader
Gregorian calendar month

nouna mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body)

Broader
appearancevisual aspect

verbmake imperfect

Broader

verbdestroy or injure severely

Similar
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

mar · verb, noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mers-“to annoy, disturb, neglect, forget, ignore”
  2. Proto-Germanic*marzijaną“to disturb, hinder”
  3. Old Englishmierran“to mar, disturb, confuse; scatter, squander, waste; upset, hinder, obstruct; err”
  4. Middle Englishmerren
  5. Englishmar

Inherited from Middle English merren, from Old English mierran (“to mar, disturb, confuse; scatter, squander, waste; upset, hinder, obstruct; err”), from Proto-Germanic *marzijaną (“to disturb, hinder”), from Proto-Indo-European *mers- (“to annoy, disturb, neglect, forget, ignore”). Cognate with Scots mer, mar (“to obstruct, impede, spoil, ruin”), Dutch marren (“to push along, delay, hinder”), dialectal German merren (“to entangle”), Icelandic merja (“to bruise, crush”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (marzjan, “to annoy, bother, disturb, offend”), Lithuanian miršti (“to forget, lose, become oblivious, die”), Armenian մոռանալ (moṙanal, “to forget, fail”), Sanskrit मृष् (mṛṣ, “forget, neglect”).

Full word history & related roots →

Mar · proper noun

  1. Scottish GaelicMàrr
  2. EnglishMar

From Scottish Gaelic Màrr, probably based on a Brythonic personal name Marsos.

Full word history & related roots →

Mar · noun

  1. Classical Syriacܡܪܝ
  2. EnglishMar

From Classical Syriac ܡܪܝ (mār(ī)), the first-person singular possessive form of ܡܪܐ (mārā, “lord, master”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans Mrt.
  • Mrt.abbreviation of March
Arabic أَفْسَدَ, مَار
  • أَفْسَدَ (ʔafsada)to spoil, to damage
  • مَار (mār)title of respect
Basque mar.
  • mar.abbreviation of March
Bulgarian развалям, повреждам
  • развалям (razvaljam)to spoil, to damage
  • повреждам (povreždam)to spoil, to damage
Catalan anar-se'n en orris, espatllar
  • anar-se'n en orristo spoil, to damage
  • espatllarto spoil, to damage
  • perdreto spoil, to damage
Chinese Mandarin 損壞 /损坏, 損傷 /损伤
  • 損壞 /损坏 (sǔnhuài)to spoil, to damage
  • 損傷 /损伤 (sǔnshāng)to spoil, to damage
  • 變壞 /变坏 (biànhuài)to spoil, to damage
  • 破壞 /破坏 (pòhuài)to spoil, to damage
  • 糟蹋 (zāota)to spoil, to damage
Czech kazit, pokazit
  • kazitto spoil, to damage
  • pokazitto spoil, to damage
  • zkazitto spoil, to damage
  • ničitto spoil, to damage
  • zničitto spoil, to damage
  • břeabbreviation of March
Danish mar.
  • mar.abbreviation of March
Dutch verpesten, verknoeien
  • verpestento spoil, to damage
  • verknoeiento spoil, to damage
  • beschadigento spoil, to damage
  • mrtabbreviation of March
Finnish pilata, tärvellä
  • pilatato spoil, to damage
  • tärvelläto spoil, to damage
  • turmellato spoil, to damage
  • leimatato spoil, to damage
  • maalisabbreviation of March
  • maalisk.abbreviation of March
French entacher
  • entacherto spoil, to damage
German verderben, stören
  • verderbento spoil, to damage
  • störento spoil, to damage
  • verunstaltento spoil, to damage
  • beeinträchtigento spoil, to damage
  • versauento spoil, to damage
  • Mär.abbreviation of March
  • Mrz.abbreviation of March
Greek Μάρ, Μαρ
  • Μάρ (Már)abbreviation of March
  • Μαρabbreviation of March
Hungarian elront, tönkretesz
  • elrontto spoil, to damage
  • tönkreteszto spoil, to damage
  • megrongálto spoil, to damage
  • elcsúfítto spoil, to damage
  • megzavarto spoil, to damage
  • háborítto spoil, to damage
  • márc.abbreviation of March
Icelandic mar.
  • mar.abbreviation of March
Indonesian Mar
  • Marabbreviation of March
Irish loit
  • loitto spoil, to damage
Italian mar., mar
  • mar.abbreviation of March
  • marabbreviation of March
Japanese 台無しにする, 傷める
  • 台無しにする (dainashi ni suru)to spoil, to damage
  • 傷める (itameru)to spoil, to damage
Latin turpō
  • turpōto spoil, to damage
Lithuanian kov.
  • kov.abbreviation of March
Persian مار, مر
  • مار (mâr)title of respect
  • مر (mar)title of respect
Polish mar
  • marabbreviation of March
Portuguese mar.
  • mar.abbreviation of March
Romanian strica, mar.
  • stricato spoil, to damage
  • mar.abbreviation of March
  • mart.abbreviation of March
Russian по́ртить, испо́ртить
  • по́ртить (pórtitʹ)to spoil, to damage
  • испо́ртить (ispórtitʹ)to spoil, to damage
  • поврежда́ть (povreždátʹ)to spoil, to damage
  • повреди́ть (povredítʹ)to spoil, to damage
  • мар. (mar.)abbreviation of March
Slovak mar, mar.
  • marabbreviation of March
  • mar.abbreviation of March
Spanish arruinar, dañar
  • arruinarto spoil, to damage
  • dañarto spoil, to damage
  • perjudicarto spoil, to damage
  • estropearto spoil, to damage
  • empañarto spoil, to damage
  • marcarto spoil, to damage
  • mar.abbreviation of March
  • marabbreviation of March
Swahili Mac
  • Macabbreviation of March
Swedish fördärva, svärta ner
  • fördärvato spoil, to damage
  • svärta nerto spoil, to damage
  • mar.abbreviation of March
  • marabbreviation of March
Tagalog Mar.
  • Mar.abbreviation of March
Tamil மார்.
  • மார். (mār.)abbreviation of March
Thai มี.ค.
  • มี.ค. (mii)abbreviation of March
Turkish Mar
  • Marabbreviation of March
Ukrainian псува́ти, шко́дити
  • псува́ти (psuváty)to spoil, to damage
  • шко́дити (škódyty)to spoil, to damage
  • руйнува́ти (rujnuváty)to spoil, to damage
  • бер. (ber.)abbreviation of March
Welsh Maw
  • Mawabbreviation of March

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with mar

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

mar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mar

MLA

“mar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mar. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mar,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mar.

Source: mar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.