earmark
noun
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Definition of earmark
(Entry 1 of 2)
earmark
verbDefinition of earmark (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for earmark
Synonyms: Verb
allocate, consecrate, dedicate, devote, give up (to), reserve, save, set by
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Examples of earmark in a Sentence
Verb
The project uses funds that had been earmarked for education. the earnings from my second job have been earmarked for a down payment on a carRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Instead, lawmakers renewed billions in new farm subsidies for wealthy farmers and considered bringing back pork-barrel earmarks. — Brian Riedl, National Review, "New Budget Deal Puts Final Nail in the Tea Party Coffin," 22 July 2019 Ping An earmarks 1% of revenue for investments in innovation. — Fortune, "China’s Biggest Private Sector Company Is Betting Its Future on Data," 22 July 2019 The new majority quickly banned pork-barrel earmarks and trimmed the 2011 appropriations bills that had been carried over from the previous year. — Brian Riedl, National Review, "New Budget Deal Puts Final Nail in the Tea Party Coffin," 22 July 2019 Flip the Script costs $3,450 per participant, through a budget earmark. — Angie Jackson, Detroit Free Press, "Flip the Script program for ex-offenders fights proposed Whitmer budget cut," 9 July 2019 Pittman's bill proposes removing a relatively small portion of the statutory earmarks and placing that money in the General Fund. — Carol Robinson, AL.com, "Body believed to be 68-year-old missing man found in vehicle on Birmingham car repair shop lot," 24 Jan. 2018 DeBonis broke the news that Trump threatened a veto of this year's omnibus in an attempt to force House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to eliminate an earmark for the tunnel project. — Martine Powers, Washington Post, "Trump is quietly shifting how major infrastructure projects are funded," 7 Apr. 2018 The House Rules Committee will convene hearings this month on earmarks, House aides said. — Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, "Trump cools to idea of taking on welfare programs, seeing little chance of success in Congress," 5 Jan. 2018 At the very least, the earmark could provide Rail Link supporters with more political leverage in their quest. — Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "North South Rail Link scores a Beacon Hill win," 7 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Your ability to get past some disagreements or mixed feelings earmarks many of your interactions. — BostonGlobe.com, "Horoscope," 9 Sep. 2019 Of that sum, $425 million is earmarked for consumers. — Robert Hackett, Fortune, "What Separates the Hacks and the Hack-Nots—Cyber Saturday," 27 July 2019 Of the construction dollars committed so far, $7 million has been earmarked by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District to rebuild a major sewer line, which is beginning to buckle under pressure from movement in the hillside. — Steven Litt, cleveland.com, "Big progress announced for Irishtown Bend stabilization and future park with skyline views," 19 July 2019 The mayor has slammed Vallas as having a role in skipping CPS pension payments and eliminating a property tax specifically earmarked for teacher pensions. — Bill Ruthhart, chicagotribune.com, "Vallas: Chicago ‘in big trouble’ under Emanuel’s ‘politically expedient’ City Hall approach," 1 May 2018 Of that, $200 million would be earmarked for a five-year program to restore and repair rural commercial routes. — Ed Blazina, Philly.com, "Pa. chipping away at its reputation for flawed bridges," 12 Feb. 2018 One of the challenges that Disney faces is basically deciding how many marquee titles to earmark for the service, given that some of those titles could easily be turned into feature films or TV programs for its other networks. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "Obi-Wan Kenobi and 'The Mandalorian' bring the Force to Disney+," 23 Aug. 2019 Here's another role that used to be earmarked Managers Only, but isn't anymore. — Anne Fisher, Fortune, "7 Proven Ways to Get Ahead at Work," 22 Aug. 2019 For example, Justice had urged officials in Greenbrier County, where the hotel is a major employer, to earmark local tax dollars for improvement projects at the luxury resort, including a ski area. — Ken Ward Jr., ProPublica, "Lawmakers Call for Ethics Reform to Deal With Billionaire Resort-Owning Governor," 21 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'earmark.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for earmark
earmark
verbFinancial Definition of earmark
What It Is
Earmarking refers to the act of setting aside funds for special purposes or specific projects. Companies and governments earmark funds frequently.
How It Works
For example, let's assume Company XYZ issues $100 million of bonds and that $20 million of it is earmarked for the construction of a new factory. This means that Company XYZ intends to set aside $20 million of the proceeds (perhaps even in a separate bank account) for the factory capital expenditures.
In a bankruptcy situation, the "earmarking doctrine" allows borrowers -- just before filing for bankruptcy -- to make payments to creditors with funds given to the borrower by another creditor. These funds are earmarked in that they are dedicated to paying off a particular creditor and thus aren't technically part of the borrower's property. The earmarking doctrine requires these types of transfers to have a written agreement from all three parties, and the borrower cannot have control over the funds.
Why It Matters
In the corporate world, earmarking is essentially a way of organizing and allocating money.
In government, however, earmarking also comes with a good deal of controversy because the earmark language is often embedded in unrelated legislation and approved or rejected for reasons other than the merits (or lack thereof) of the earmarks.
[InvestingAnswers Feature: The Most Absurd Pork Barrel Spending Projects of 2010]
Source: Investing Answers
earmark
noun
English Language Learners Definition of earmark
(Entry 1 of 2)
earmark
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of earmark (Entry 2 of 2)
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