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# earmarks

noun (an earmark, earmarks); verb (earmark, earmarks, earmarked)

«earmarks» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (US politics) money in a budget set aside for a politician's favourite local projects, often criticised as waste. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#m1)
2. (verb) to set aside money or something for a purpose. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#m2)
3. (literal) a mark on an animal's ear. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#m3)

### In the lessons

In US politics «earmarks» is a softer word for «pork» — spending to win votes; also the everyday verb «earmark»; farming sense in history. US mainly.

### Examples

- The bill was full of earmarks for local bridges and museums. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#x1)
- The school earmarked 500 dollars for new books. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#x2)
- Critics call earmarks a waste of tax money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#x3)
- The council earmarked the field for a new park. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#x4)
- Farmers once put earmarks on sheep to show the owner. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#x5)
- The senator defended his earmarks. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/#x6)

### Note

Often just «set aside». In US politics, «earmarks» can hint at wasteful spending.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «earmarks» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earmarks/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«earmarks» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/earmarks.html) on Mova free.