watermark

1 of 2

noun

wa·​ter·​mark ˈwȯ-tər-ˌmärk 

ˈwä-

1

: a mark indicating the height to which water has risen

2

: a marking in paper resulting from differences in thickness usually produced by pressure of a projecting design in the mold or on a processing roll and visible when the paper is held up to the light

also : the design of or the metal pattern producing the marking

watermark

2 of 2

verb

watermarked; watermarking; watermarks

transitive verb

1

: to mark (paper) with a watermark

2

: to impress (a given design) as a watermark

Examples of watermark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As for ballots mailed but not yet returned, Wesolowski said there will be a watermark in the poll book stating an absentee ballot has been issued. —Erik S. Hanley, Journal Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2024

Congress, meanwhile, should require generative AI companies to embed content with hard-to-remove watermarks and provenance information. —Mekela Panditharatne and Shanze Hasan, TIME, 21 Oct. 2024

Verb

But in a February paper, researchers at the University of Maryland showed that approaches developed by Google and other tech giants to watermark their AI images could be beat. —Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

This sweeping mandate gives many key actors homework: industry leaders must provide insight into the inner workings of their most powerful systems and watermark their products to help support information integrity. —Alondra Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 12 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

watermark

1 of 2 noun

wa·​ter·​mark ˈwȯt-ər-ˌmärk 

ˈwät-

1

: a mark that shows the height to which water has risen

2

: a mark (as the maker's name or trademark) made in paper during manufacture and visible when the paper is held up to the light

watermark

2 of 2 verb

: to mark with a watermark