remark

plural remarks

1. countableuncountableAn act of pointing out or noticing; notice or observation.

   It is worth remark that the Japanese railways are among the busiest in the world; moreover, their traffic is growing.

   1959 June, “Super-railway planned in Japan”, in Trains Illustrated, page 313

2. countableuncountableAn expression, in speech or writing, of something remarked or noticed; a mention of something

   make a remark

   5 more examples

   pass a remark

   a biting remark

   a funny remark

   a spoken remark

   One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.” He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.

   1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter III, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

3. countableuncountableA casual observation, comment, or statement

   He remembers something Pete Huntley said at lunch, just a remark in passing, and the answer comes to him.

   2014, Stephen King, Mr. Mercedes: A Novel

4. alternativecountableuncountableartsAlternative form of remarque.

present singular third person remarks · participle present remarking · participle past remarked · past remarked

1. transitiveTo pay heed to; notice; to take notice of, to perceive.First known use 16th c.

   I remarked a certain twang in his southern pronunciation.

   3 more examples

   'Did you ever remark that door?' he asked; and when his companion had replied in the affirmative, 'It is connected in my mind,' added he, 'with a very odd story.'

   1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Story of the Door”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 5

   When travelling in Spain, Willkomm remarked qobar at a distance of 3 or 4 miles, yet, on reaching the actual spot, he saw nothing.

   1889 January 3, Antoine D'Abbadie, in a letter to the editor of Nature, volume 39, pages 247-248

   “Let's just be grateful he's alive,” said Kate, and several heads turned sharply, remarking this unaccustomed display of feeling from a Fifth Floor lady.

   1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy

2. obsoletetransitiveTo pass comment on (something); to indicate, point out.First known use 16th–18th c.

   [S]he resolved to […] enter into conversation with her, by remarking the warmth of the room and the length of the dance.

   1790, Amelia Opie, chapter 19, in Dangers of Coquetry, volume II

3. obsoletetransitiveTo mark (someone or something) out; to distinguish, to make notable.First known use 17th c.

   His manacles remark him; there he sits.

   1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC

4. transitiveTo express in words or writing; to state, as an observation.First known use 17th c.

   He remarked that it was getting late.

   2 more examples

   Thou art a man remark't to taſt a miſchiefe, / Looke for't; though it come late, it vvill come ſure.

   c. 1626 or 1629–1633 (first performance), [John Ford], ’Tis Pitty Shee’s a Whore […], London: […] Nicholas Okes for Richard Collins, […], published 1633, →OCLC, Act II, signature [D4], verso

   He looked at me with pity, which caused me to smile, remarking that I had noticed that here and elsewhere in the east, the heroes had monuments or statues erected to their memory[…]

   1904, Elma MacGibbon, Leaves of Knowledge

5. intransitiveTo make a remark or remarks on, to comment on (something).First known use 17th c.

   Synonyms: add

plural remarks

1. alternativeAlternative spelling of re-mark.

present singular third person remarks · participle present remarking · participle past remarked · past remarked

1. alternativeAlternative spelling of re-mark.