adjective

earmarked

EER-markt

Earmarked (adjective) means Set aside for one specific purpose and not available for anything else, especially of money. Example: “The grant is earmarked for teacher training.”

adjective

Set aside for one specific purpose and not available for anything else, especially of money.

"The grant is earmarked for teacher training."

"Half the fund is already earmarked, so the real budget is smaller than it looks."

verb

Past tense and past participle of earmark: to choose someone or something in advance for a particular role, fate or use.

"She was earmarked for promotion long before the interviews."

"Three of the older buildings have been earmarked for demolition."

How to Use Earmarked

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishIt means something has already been set aside for one particular use.

When to use it

Neutral and common in finance, government and news writing. In British English, ring-fenced is a close alternative for protected funds; in US politics an earmark is also a noun meaning a spending item a legislator directs to their own district.

Memory tip

The preposition is for: earmarked for repairs, never earmarked to repairs.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

earmarked → ring-fenced hallmarked

Common pairings

earmarked for earmarked funds earmarked for demolition already earmarked

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The grant is _____ for teacher training.

Etymology

From earmark, a notch or mark cut into the ear of a farm animal to show who owned it.

Origin: English

Synonyms

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allocated designated reserved ring-fenced set aside designate single out line up

Related Words

name taken total pick choose named selected chosen

Rhymes for earmarked

marked parked barked sparked remarked unmarked

See all rhymes for earmarked →

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean if funds are earmarked?

It means the money has been assigned in advance to one named purpose and may not be spent on anything else. Donors and governments use earmarking to make sure a contribution reaches the project they intended.

What is the difference between earmarked and ring-fenced?

Both mean money is set aside, but earmarked describes the intended destination, while ring-fenced stresses that the money is legally or structurally protected from being taken for other uses. Ring-fenced is chiefly British.

Where does the word earmark come from?

From livestock farming, where owners cut a distinctive notch in an animal's ear to mark it as theirs. The idea of marking something in advance as spoken for carried over into money and plans.

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