# markup

/ˈmɑɹˌkəp/ (US) · /mˈɑːkʌp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/markup
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. price increase for profit

noun · CEFR B2

the amount of money added to the cost of a product to cover expenses and make a profit.

For teachers: the amount or percentage added to the cost price of goods to cover overheads and profit. Uncountable when referring to the concept; countable when referring to a specific instance.

- The retail store puts a fifty percent markup on all designer clothing.
- The wholesaler's modest markup allowed the small boutique to remain competitive while still maintaining a healthy profit margin.

### 2. computer formatting code

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

special symbols or tags added to a digital document to show how it should look or be organized.

For teachers: the set of symbols or rules applied to a text file to define its structure, formatting, or the relationship between its parts.

- You need to learn basic HTML markup to build your own website.
- The developer spent the afternoon cleaning up the semantic markup to ensure the site was accessible to screen readers.

### 3. legislative amendment process

noun · CEFR C2 · American English · Formal · Technical

the process where a committee in the US government debates and changes a new law.

For teachers: the process by which a US congressional committee debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation.

- The bill underwent a long markup session before it was sent to the floor for a vote.
- During the committee markup, several controversial amendments were introduced that threatened to derail the entire healthcare reform package.

## Examples

- The developer added some markup to the page to make the title bold.
- Without the correct markup, the browser cannot distinguish between the navigation menu and the main body of the article.
- Modern web development relies on semantic markup to ensure that screen readers and search engines can accurately interpret the hierarchy and purpose of different content blocks within a document.

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