What does markup mean?
Markup is a word with two familiar but distinct uses. In commerce, it refers to an amount added to a seller's cost or asking price, often as a deliberate retail increase. The related verb means to raise a price by adding such an amount. In computing and publishing, markup instead consists of symbols, tags, or codes that tell software how text should be structured or displayed. It may refer to a particular notation system, as in HTML markup, or to the process of adding such instructions to a document. These meanings share a broader idea of adding information: in one case, additional money; in the other, additional instructions. Markup is useful because it distinguishes the underlying material or cost from what is added to transform it. In digital publishing, it is also a familiar sign of the hidden structure beneath a polished page, from headings and links to emphasis and layout.
An amount added to a price, or the system of tags and codes used to indicate structure or formatting in text.
"The gallery charged a high markup on every work it sold."
The commercial and computing senses are distinct, though both involve adding something to an underlying form.
To add an amount to a price, especially to increase it substantially.
"The dealer marked up the original price before the auction."
Often used with an object such as “price” or with a specific amount.
The plural is uncommon; the uncountable form is generally preferred when referring broadly to markup language or pricing practices.
"The company rejected several proposed markups to the vendor's fees."
From raising prices to writing bold text in raw code, markup is the hidden machinery that gives both commerce and digital documents their final form.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does markup come from?
The word is formed from “mark” and “up.” Its commercial senses developed from the idea of marking up a price, while its textual and computing senses developed from the practice of marking up a document with editorial or structural instructions. The base “mark” is an old English word associated with a visible sign or trace, and related forms such as “marker” and “remark” continue that broad sense of making something identifiable.
How markup is actually used
In computing, markup is usually used attributively, as in “markup language” or “markup code.” In commerce, it often suggests a retailer's addition to a base price and may imply a substantial increase. The related verb is commonly hyphenated when used attributively, as in “marked-up price.”
Easily confused with markup
Markup uses plain-text symbols to specify formatting, whereas markdown is a particular lightweight syntax for converting formatted text into HTML.
A markup is a system of formatting codes or a price increase, while marked-up text is text that has had formatting annotations added to it.