denote

verb

de·note | \ di-ˈnōt

, dē-\

denoted; denoting; denotes

Definition of denote

transitive verb

1 : to serve as an indication of : betoken the swollen bellies that denote starvation

2 : to serve as an arbitrary mark for red flares denoting danger

3 : to make known : announce his crestfallen look denoted his distress

4a : to serve as a linguistic expression of the notion of : mean in the southern U.S., the word "toboggan" denotes a stocking cap

b : to stand for : designate the symbol / denotes "or," "and or," or "per" An epiphany is, literally, a showing. In Christian terminology it denotes the showing of the infant Jesus to the three Magi.— David Lodge

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Examples of denote in a Sentence

The word “derby” can denote a horse race or a kind of hat. Her death denoted the end of an era.

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2018 those thresholds also denoted where the new tax deduction for pass-through business income begins phasing out for some businesses. — Richard Rubin, WSJ, "Trump Tax Cut to Be Eroded Next Year by Inflation Switch," 15 Nov. 2018 Rectangular marks on the mosaic may denote where couches were placed. — James Rogers, Fox News, "Exquisite ancient mosaic uncovered in Israel," 31 July 2018 Any hint of style or glamour denoted bourgeois aspirations, which were loudly denounced in a society focused on industrialization and agriculture. — Niree Noel, Allure, "The Evolution of Armenia’s Beauty Industry, According to Women Who Witnessed It," 27 July 2018 Readings above 50 indicate expansion whereas readings below that level denote contraction. ... — Harriet Torry, WSJ, "U.S. Factory-Sector Growth Accelerated in January," 1 Feb. 2019 Manufactured homes come in three sizes: single-, double-, and triple-wide, which denotes the number of sections the house is composed of. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "The Impressive Evolution Of Prefabricated Houses," 24 Dec. 2018 In oil and refined products markets, open interest, which denotes the number of outstanding futures and options contracts, has fallen to its lowest levels in about two years, according to Goldman Sachs research. — Stephanie Yang, WSJ, "Oil’s Sharp Swings Are a Symptom of a Changing Market," 9 Dec. 2018 The 15 districts are all featured on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s ‘Red to Blue’ target list, a program that denotes top-tier races. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Trump attacks Kavanaugh accuser," 25 Sep. 2018 One culinary-focused streamer, Cooking For Noobs, actually has a section in her profile that denotes her relationship status. — Patricia Hernandez, The Verge, "For women on Twitch, disclosing their relationship status is a minefield," 8 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'denote.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.