Definition of mark up

Short definition: The phrase mark up means increasing the price of something above its cost or adding notes, highlights, or comments to text so it becomes clearer, more detailed, or easier to review depending on the situation.

Looking for a clear and natural explanation of the phrase mark up? The phrase mark up is widely used in business, shopping, and everyday talk. People most often use it when talking about increasing prices to make a profit, but it can also mean adding notes, corrections, or changes to a document. Because of this, mark up can sound financial in one situation and practical or technical in another. Below, each meaning is explained in a calm and natural way, so it feels clear, human, and easy to use correctly.

Forms: mark up, marks up, marked up, marking up
Related: price n., profit n., edit v.
Syllable: mark up

1. (Verb) To increase the price of something above its original cost in order to make a profit.

   To mark up something means to raise its selling price above what it originally cost, usually so a business can cover expenses and earn profit, and this practice is common in retail, services, and sales.

   The store decided to mark up winter coats before the cold season because demand was expected to rise quickly.
   Restaurants often mark up drinks more than food to balance their overall costs.
   Customers noticed the product had been marked up significantly compared to last year.

   Synonyms: raise the price, increase cost, price up, add a margin, charge more, inflate the price, boost pricing, increase the rate, add profit, price higher, lift the price, apply a markup
   Antonyms: mark down, discount, lower the price, cut the price, reduce cost, offer a sale, drop the price, underprice, slash prices, reduce rates, price down, give a discount

2. (Verb) To write notes corrections or changes on a document or image.

   To mark up a document means to add notes, highlights, corrections, or suggested changes, often used by editors, teachers, designers, or reviewers when giving feedback.

   The editor marked up the draft with comments explaining where the argument needed to be clearer.
   She marked up the contract before sending it back for revision.
   The teacher marked up the essay with suggestions instead of simply giving a grade.

   Synonyms: annotate, edit, comment on, add notes, revise, review, correct, highlight, proofread, suggest changes, add remarks, make notes
   Antonyms: leave unchanged, approve as is, ignore, skip review, accept without changes, keep clean, finalize, submit untouched, leave blank, pass through, accept directly, publish unchanged

3. (Verb) To make something look higher or more valuable than it really is.

   In a more figurative sense, mark up can mean exaggerating value or importance, making something seem better, bigger, or more impressive than it truly is.

   The marketing campaign marked up the product’s benefits, creating expectations that were hard to meet.
   He felt the story was marked up to sound more dramatic than what actually happened.
   Critics argued that the report marked up minor improvements as major achievements.

   Synonyms: exaggerate, overstate, hype up, inflate importance, dress up, oversell, embellish, boost image, overemphasize, make bigger, play up, glorify
   Antonyms: downplay, understate, minimize, be realistic, keep accurate, tone down, be honest, reduce emphasis, underplay, scale back, simplify, tell it straight