mark down
2 meanings
lower the price of something
What does "mark down" mean in this sense?
Examples
- All the winter jackets have been marked down by 40% to make room for the new spring collection.
- The store marked every item down after Christmas to clear the remaining stock.
- Are these shoes marked down? The label says they were originally £120.
How to use it
The most common active pattern, where the object (the product or price) is placed between 'mark' and 'down'.
The manager decided to mark the remaining summer stock down before the new season arrives.
When using a pronoun as the object, it must go between 'mark' and 'down' — it cannot follow 'down'.
Those shoes have been sitting in the window for months, so they finally marked them down.
The passive construction is extremely common in retail contexts, especially in advertisements and sale announcements, often with a percentage to show how much the price has been reduced.
All the end-of-season coats have been marked down by 35% to clear space for new stock.
When the object is a longer or more complex noun phrase, it typically stays after 'down' rather than being inserted between verb and particle.
The retailer decided to mark down all unsold electronics from the previous quarter.
Common fixed expressions can follow the object to explain the reason for the price reduction.
They marked the remaining party dresses down to clear before the new collection arrived.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
'Mark down' means to reduce a price, while 'mark up' means to increase it — they are direct opposites. Using the wrong one completely reverses the meaning of your sentence.
When the object is a pronoun such as 'it' or 'them', it must go between 'mark' and 'down'. Placing it after 'down' is ungrammatical in English.
'Mark down' is specifically used for price reductions in retail or commercial contexts. For other kinds of reduction — such as reducing salt in a recipe or cutting working hours — you need different verbs like 'reduce' or 'cut down'.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral in register and common in both spoken and written retail English. The passive form ('have been marked down') is especially frequent in advertisements and sale announcements. Note that the related noun 'markdown' (one word) is also widely used in business contexts.
give a student a lower grade as a punishment
Sense 2: What does "mark sb down" mean?
Examples
- You'll be marked down for any spelling mistakes in the final exam.
- The teacher marked several students down for submitting their essays late.
- I was marked down even though my argument was strong, because I hadn't included a bibliography.
How to use it
The passive is the most frequent pattern, often used in instructions and feedback to focus on the student receiving the penalty and the reason for it.
Students will be marked down for poor presentation or failure to follow the brief.
In active sentences, the object (the student) typically sits between 'mark' and 'down', especially when it's a pronoun or short noun phrase.
The examiner marked him down for going over the word limit.
A conditional clause introduced by 'if' is a very natural way to state the conditions under which a penalty will apply, common in exam and assignment instructions.
You'll be marked down if you don't include in-text citations throughout your essay.
When the object is a pronoun, it must always go between 'mark' and 'down' — it cannot follow the particle.
She forgot to number her pages, so the marker marked her down for it.
When the object is a longer noun phrase, it can follow the particle, though the passive is often a more natural choice in these cases.
The teacher decided to mark down any student who submitted work without a bibliography.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'mark' and 'down', never after 'down'. Placing a pronoun after the particle is ungrammatical in English.
'Take off' focuses on the marks being removed (e.g. 'they took off five marks'), while 'mark down' focuses on the student being penalised. Don't use them interchangeably — if your sentence refers to the student, use 'mark down'; if it refers to the marks themselves being deducted, use 'take off'.
'Mark down' also means to reduce the price of a product, but this is a completely different sense. In any academic context involving students and grades, 'mark down' means to penalise with a lower grade — the surrounding context should always make this clear.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral and used in both spoken and written academic English worldwide. The passive form ('you'll be marked down') is the most common pattern and is frequently found in exam instructions, assignment briefs, and teacher feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the passive form really that common with 'mark down'? It seems a bit formal.
Yes — with this particular phrasal verb, the passive is actually the most natural form in many situations. In shop windows, sale emails, and adverts, you will constantly see phrases like 'prices have been marked down' or 'marked down by 30%'. This is because who reduced the price (the store, the manager) is usually less important than the fact that the price has changed.
Does 'mark down' always mean a price reduction, or does it have other meanings?
No, it doesn't always refer to prices. 'Mark down' can also mean to write something down, or in an academic context, to give someone a lower grade as a penalty. However, context makes the meaning clear — if the topic is shopping, retail, or products, it almost certainly means a price reduction. This page covers only the price-reduction sense.
What is the difference between 'mark down' and 'knock down' when talking about prices?
'Mark down' refers to an official, store-set price reduction — a decision made by the retailer and applied to the labelled price. 'Knock down' tends to suggest a more informal or negotiated reduction, often between a buyer and seller, rather than a standard sale discount.
Is 'markdown' (one word) connected to 'mark down'?
Yes — 'markdown' is the noun form and is widely used in business and retail English to describe either the act of reducing a price or the amount by which something is reduced. For example, 'a 40% markdown' or 'a seasonal markdown on electronics'. It is one word as a noun, but two words as a phrasal verb: 'to mark something down'.
What kinds of products are typically 'marked down'?
In everyday English, you will most often hear 'mark down' used with seasonal goods (winter coats, summer clothing), end-of-line products, overstocked items, and clearance merchandise. Electronics, fashion, and home goods are all common in this context. The phrase 'marked down to clear' is a very natural fixed expression used when a shop wants to sell off remaining stock quickly.
Does 'mark down' always mean something negative for the student?
Yes, in this sense it always refers to a penalty — the student loses marks or receives a lower grade because they did something wrong or failed to meet a requirement. It's never used to describe a neutral or positive grade adjustment. The opposite would be 'mark up', which means to give a higher grade.
Can 'mark down' be used to talk about prices, or is it only about grades?
It can refer to both, but they are completely separate meanings. When the context involves a shop, product, or sale, 'mark down' means to reduce a price. When the context involves students, exams, or assignments, it means to penalise with a lower grade. This page covers the academic sense only.
What words typically follow 'for' after 'mark down'?
The most common patterns use a noun or gerund after 'for' to explain the reason for the penalty — for example, 'marked down for late submission', 'marked down for spelling mistakes', or 'marked down for not following the instructions'. These collocations are very frequent in assignment guidelines and teacher feedback.
Is 'mark down' used in both British and American English?
It's widely understood internationally, but it's particularly common in British, Australian, and other varieties of English that use the verb 'mark' to mean 'grade'. In American English, where teachers typically 'grade' work, you might more often hear 'take points off' or 'dock points', though 'mark down' is still understood.
Can I use 'mark down' in continuous tenses, like 'is marking down'?
In most real-world usage, you'll find 'mark down' in the simple past, present simple, future simple, or passive forms. Continuous forms like 'is marking students down' are grammatically possible but unusual in this sense — native speakers tend to prefer simpler constructions when talking about grading penalties.
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