earmark

Everyday

1. (verb) To set money or something aside for a special purpose: The money is earmarked for a new playground. tree →
2. (noun) A mark cut or tagged on a farm animal's ear to show who owns it. tree →
3. (noun) A sign or feature that shows what something is: It has all the earmarks of a good book. tree →

In the lessons

In money problems «earmarked» money is kept for one purpose and cannot be spent on anything else; on farms sheep and cattle have earmarks. Phrases: «earmarked for», «have all the earmarks of».

Examples

• The school earmarked $500 for new books. tree →
• This field is earmarked for a new park. tree →
• The farmer checked the sheep's earmarks. tree →
• The plan has all the earmarks of success. tree →
• We earmarked Saturday for cleaning the garage. tree →
• Of $100, $30 is earmarked for food, so $70 is left for other things. tree →

Note

Regular verb. Formal-ish; casual speech says «set aside» or «put by». In maths, earmarked money must be subtracted from the total before you work out what is free to spend.