diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 0d1c502c61e..22caa5ea549 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1061,7 +1061,7 @@ if(CONFIG_USERSPACE)
 
   configure_linker_script(
     linker_app_smem_unaligned.cmd
-    "-DLINKER_APP_SMEM_UNALIGNED"
+    "LINKER_APP_SMEM_UNALIGNED"
     ${CODE_RELOCATION_DEP}
     ${APP_SMEM_UNALIGNED_DEP}
     ${APP_SMEM_UNALIGNED_LD}
@@ -1246,7 +1246,7 @@ endif()
 
 configure_linker_script(
   linker_zephyr_prebuilt.cmd
-  "-DLINKER_ZEPHYR_PREBUILT"
+  "LINKER_ZEPHYR_PREBUILT"
   ${APP_SMEM_ALIGNED_DEP}
   ${KOBJECT_LINKER_DEP}
   ${CODE_RELOCATION_DEP}
@@ -1298,7 +1298,7 @@ else()
   # file and preprocessed with the define LINKER_ZEPHYR_FINAL.
   configure_linker_script(
     linker.cmd
-    "-DLINKER_ZEPHYR_FINAL"
+    "LINKER_ZEPHYR_FINAL"
     ${CODE_RELOCATION_DEP}
     ${ZEPHYR_PREBUILT_EXECUTABLE}
     zephyr_generated_headers
diff --git a/cmake/linker/arcmwdt/target.cmake b/cmake/linker/arcmwdt/target.cmake
index e93cb47f908..fca58265c73 100644
--- a/cmake/linker/arcmwdt/target.cmake
+++ b/cmake/linker/arcmwdt/target.cmake
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ set_ifndef(LINKERFLAGPREFIX -Wl,)
 # NOTE: ${linker_script_gen} will be produced at build-time; not at configure-time
 macro(configure_linker_script linker_script_gen linker_pass_define)
   set(extra_dependencies ${ARGN})
+  set(template_script_defines ${linker_pass_define})
+  list(TRANSFORM template_script_defines PREPEND "-D")
 
   # Different generators deal with depfiles differently.
   if(CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL "Unix Makefiles")
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ macro(configure_linker_script linker_script_gen linker_pass_define)
     -imacros ${AUTOCONF_H}
     ${current_includes}
     ${current_defines}
-    ${linker_pass_define}
+    ${template_script_defines}
     ${LINKER_SCRIPT}
     -E
     -o ${linker_script_gen}
diff --git a/cmake/linker/armlink/target.cmake b/cmake/linker/armlink/target.cmake
index 0943e255be0..359d3e7454b 100644
--- a/cmake/linker/armlink/target.cmake
+++ b/cmake/linker/armlink/target.cmake
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ macro(configure_linker_script linker_script_gen linker_pass_define)
   set(STEERING_FILE_ARG)
   set(STEERING_C_ARG)
 
-  if("${linker_pass_define}" STREQUAL "-DLINKER_ZEPHYR_PREBUILT")
+  if("${linker_pass_define}" STREQUAL "LINKER_ZEPHYR_PREBUILT")
     set(PASS 1)
-  elseif("${linker_pass_define}" STREQUAL "-DLINKER_ZEPHYR_FINAL")
+  elseif("${linker_pass_define}" STREQUAL "LINKER_ZEPHYR_FINAL")
     set(PASS 2)
     set(STEERING_FILE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/armlink_symbol_steering.steer)
     set(STEERING_C ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/armlink_symbol_steering.c)
diff --git a/cmake/linker/ld/target.cmake b/cmake/linker/ld/target.cmake
index fd4b6df4fd1..ce2a4388fc1 100644
--- a/cmake/linker/ld/target.cmake
+++ b/cmake/linker/ld/target.cmake
@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ macro(configure_linker_script linker_script_gen linker_pass_define)
   set(extra_dependencies ${ARGN})
 
   if(CONFIG_CMAKE_LINKER_GENERATOR)
-    if("${linker_pass_define}" STREQUAL "-DLINKER_ZEPHYR_PREBUILT")
+    if("${linker_pass_define}" STREQUAL "LINKER_ZEPHYR_PREBUILT")
       set(PASS 1)
-    elseif("${linker_pass_define}" STREQUAL "-DLINKER_ZEPHYR_FINAL")
+    elseif("${linker_pass_define}" STREQUAL "LINKER_ZEPHYR_FINAL")
       set(PASS 2)
     endif()
 
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ macro(configure_linker_script linker_script_gen linker_pass_define)
         -P ${ZEPHYR_BASE}/cmake/linker/ld/ld_script.cmake
       )
   else()
+    set(template_script_defines ${linker_pass_define})
+    list(TRANSFORM template_script_defines PREPEND "-D")
+
     # Different generators deal with depfiles differently.
     if(CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL "Unix Makefiles")
       # Note that the IMPLICIT_DEPENDS option is currently supported only
@@ -90,7 +93,7 @@ macro(configure_linker_script linker_script_gen linker_pass_define)
       -imacros ${AUTOCONF_H}
       ${current_includes}
       ${current_defines}
-      ${linker_pass_define}
+      ${template_script_defines}
       -E ${LINKER_SCRIPT}
       -P # Prevent generation of debug `#line' directives.
       -o ${linker_script_gen}
diff --git a/cmake/linker/lld/target.cmake b/cmake/linker/lld/target.cmake
index 6aca2d6f35b..e9ac00ff96a 100644
--- a/cmake/linker/lld/target.cmake
+++ b/cmake/linker/lld/target.cmake
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ set_ifndef(LINKERFLAGPREFIX -Wl)
 # NOTE: ${linker_script_gen} will be produced at build-time; not at configure-time
 macro(configure_linker_script linker_script_gen linker_pass_define)
   set(extra_dependencies ${ARGN})
+  set(template_script_defines ${linker_pass_define})
+  list(TRANSFORM template_script_defines PREPEND "-D")
 
   # Different generators deal with depfiles differently.
   if(CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL "Unix Makefiles")
@@ -45,7 +47,7 @@ macro(configure_linker_script linker_script_gen linker_pass_define)
     -D_ASMLANGUAGE
     ${current_includes}
     ${current_defines}
-    ${linker_pass_define}
+    ${template_script_defines}
     -E ${LINKER_SCRIPT}
     -P # Prevent generation of debug `#line' directives.
     -o ${linker_script_gen}