mark down

To make something cheaper to buy.

• They mark down bread every evening.
• The store marked these boots down to half price.
• Will you mark it down before the sale?

How to use it: mark something down to an amount (They marked the coat down to twenty pounds.); mark something down by an amount (The shop marked all shoes down by ten percent.)

Similar words: discount, reduce

Opposites: mark up

Common phrases: mark down prices, mark down something, mark down stock

To make a written note about something so you can remember it.

• Mark down the date before you forget.
• She marked down a reminder about the meeting.
• Have you marked down what we need to buy?

How to use it: mark something down (I marked the appointment down in my diary.)

Similar words: note down, write down, record

Common phrases: mark down details, mark down something, mark down dates, mark down names

To give someone fewer points because they have made a mistake.

• Teachers mark down unclear answers.
• She was marked down for missing a question.
• Will I be marked down if I forget the title?

How to use it: mark someone down for something (The teacher marked him down for poor spelling.)

Similar words: deduct points from, penalize

Common phrases: mark down someone, mark down answers

To decide that someone or something has a particular quality or belongs to a particular type.

• I marked him down as unreliable.
• She had marked the project down as a likely failure.
• Don’t mark me down as a fool.

How to use it: mark someone/something down as something (I marked the delay down as a warning sign.)

Similar words: classify, regard, judge

Common phrases: mark down someone, mark down something