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idiom
—used to tell someone to listen to and remember what one is saying
Mark my words: nothing good will come of this!
Dictionary Entries Near mark my words
mark master Mason
mark my words
mark of admiration
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“Mark my words.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mark%20my%20words. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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«‘Ell’s to pay, sir, on this ‘ere craft, an’ mark my word for it, sir.
If some go, you mark my words, sir, Silver’ll bring ’em aboard again as mild as lambs.»
There’s something wrong about this one, now you mark my words. I don’t believe it’s got any right to be around in the daytime.
And indeed he does not want my help; you do not know him as I do; he is safe, he is quite safe; mark my words, he will never more be heard of.»
«Mark my words, Alexander will not come,» said the old princess.
«Mark my words, you will repent it,» and with that awful prophecy, Aunt Myra departed like a black shadow.
«Mebbe he won’t do for us, but mark my words, hell ‘ll be an ice-box to this ship from now on.»
Some day, mark my words, he’ll get his time, an’ then what’ll we do?
Ask the perfumers, ask the blacking-makers, ask the hatters, ask the old lottery-office-keepers—ask any man among ’em what my poetry has done for him, and mark my words, he blesses the name of Slum.
«Mark my words,» he said, «it is some nonsense Nana has been putting into their heads; just the sort of idea a dog would have.
Mark my words! Frank will get one of the best estates in England; a seat in the House of Commons will follow as a matter of course; and one of the legislators of this Ass-ridden country will be — MY LOUT!
«You mark my words, Walker, if we don’t look out that woman will raise a mutiny with her preaching.
You listen, Daylight, an’ mark my words, the time’s comin’ when winter diggin’s’ll be all the go.
«Mark my words!» he cried with abrupt positiveness.
But some day, mark my words, she’ll turn on him and give him what for, and their friendship will get a terrible smash.»
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- mark my word (rare)
Pronunciation[edit]
Phrase[edit]
mark my words
- (idiomatic) Listen to me; used before or after a statement one wishes to emphasize, especially a prediction.
Usage notes[edit]
- Though grammatically, mark my words is structured as a command (that is, as a clause in the imperative mood), that is not its true function in discourse.
Synonyms[edit]
- (listen to me): hear ye (archaic), read my lips
Translations[edit]
listen to me
- Arabic: سَجِّل كَلِمَاتِي m (sajjil kalimātī), سَجِّلِي كَلِمَاتِي f (sajjilī kalimātī)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 記住我的話／记住我的话 (jìzhu wǒ de huà), 聽我說／听我说 (tīng wǒ shuō)
- Finnish: sano minun sanoneen sg, sanokaa minun sanoneen (plural, say that I’ve said it)
- Polish:, zapamiętaj moje słowa (memorize my words)
- Russian: попо́мните мои́ слова́ (popómnite moí slová) (plural or formal), попо́мни мои́ слова́ (popómni moí slová) (singular informal)
- Spanish: please add this translation if you can
- Swedish: sanna mina ord
- Turkish: dediklerimi bir kenara yaz
Categories:
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- English phrases
- English multiword terms
- English idioms
- English sentences
M
mark my words
Meaning | Synonyms
- used to let someone know to pay attention to what you are saying because it is very important especially when you are certain something would happen in future
- assure someone about something that you saying is certainly going to happen
Example Sentences
- Mark my words, she won’t regret taking me up on my offer.
- I had no idea about the conversation concerning their agreement but mark my words; it shall all come to light soon.
- I was just leaving her office when she told me to mark her words, that I would be relieved of my job tomorrow.
- Mark my words, one day your son James will become a great businessman.
- Remember if you do not stop abusing then, mark my words, one day everybody will leave you.
- Don’t take her with. You mark my words, she will cause only problems.
Origin
This phrase was first used by Miles Coverdale in 1535 in the book of Isaiah when he translated the bible. After that, it was used to describe an ominous happening. In folklore, it is said that whenever “mark my words” was spoken, something bad almost always happened, so people actually avoided saying it or kept away from anyone who would utter it to them. Later, writers began to use it when addressing their readers to let them know what part of their works to focus on or the part that meant the most to them while writing. Today, it is used to command, admonish or stress the importance of something.
Assorted, Speech
Mark my words is an idiom that is hundreds of years old. We will examine the meaning of the common idiom mark my words, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences.
Mark my words is a command to listen to the speaker; the expression admonishes the listener to heed the speaker’s words and remember them, because they are important. The phrase mark my words uses the word mark in an archaic way, to mean pay attention. The earliest known use of the expression mark my words occurs in a 1535 translation of the Bible, in the book of Isaiah. The idiom mark my words carries an ominous connotation—as if the speaker is warning about something that is inevitable or warning of something that the listener could avoid if he only pays attention to the speaker.
Examples
Tomorrow — mark my words — it will be something else, some other pithy term to serve as a repository of all that the white right fears. (Roanoke Times)
There will be more attacks like these, mark my words, and we’ve been waiting for things like this to happen. (Computer Weekly)
“Mark my words: Nevada will be the safest place to have a convention or to come and visit.“ (AP)