What does postmarking mean?
Postmarking is the act of placing a postmark on a letter or other item of mail. A postmark commonly shows the place and date from which the item was sent, although modern postal services may use machine-readable marks that omit some of this information. The word is used by postal workers, businesses, and institutions describing the handling or processing of mail. It can also be used figuratively to describe giving something an official date or identity, as when a government agency postmarking the approval of a program. In everyday conversation, people usually say that someone or something is postmarking mail rather than using the gerund in more abstract contexts. The term is precise and professional, making it especially useful when discussing postal procedures, correspondence, records, and the evidence created by a dated mark.
To mark mail with a postmark showing where and when it was sent.
"The clerk postmarked the parcel on Monday."
This is the standard postal meaning and is used in both British and American English.
To give something an official or identifiable date, status, or location.
"The ceremony postmarked the opening of the exhibition."
This figurative sense is less common than the postal sense.
A postmark turns an ordinary letter into a small piece of dated evidence: it records where the mail entered the postal system.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does postmarking come from?
Postmarking combines the noun postmark with the present participle ending -ing. The noun postmark is formed from post and mark, both of which have long been used in the context of postal systems and official documentation. The verb postmark developed from this noun in the sense of placing a mark on mail. Its figurative use follows the broader practice of using stamps and marks to record dates, authority, or completion.
Related word forms
How postmarking is actually used
The literal sense is standard postal terminology. The figurative sense is less common and usually implies an official or consequential dating or identification.
Easily confused with postmarking
A postmark is the mark itself, while postmarking is the act of applying or producing it.