denote

verb

de·​note di-ˈnōt 

dē-

denoted; denoting; denotes

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

4

a

: 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

denotement

di-ˈnōt-mənt 

dē-

noun

Synonyms

• express
• import
• intend
• mean
• signify
• spell

Example Sentences

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

Since the sun denotes your drive and attitude, Sunday explains that those with a fire Sun sign love to stand out in a crowd. —Women's Health, 12 May 2023

In addition to a pair of aluminum paddle shifters, the steering wheel wears an orange band at the 12 o'clock mark, denoting its performance edge. —Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 10 May 2023

Mariah Carey, Lewis Capaldi, Whitney Houston, Coldplay and Sam Smith are among the first recipients of the new BRIT Billion Award, denoting 1 billion career UK streams. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 4 May 2023

Available for iOS and iPadOS devices running version 16.4.1 or Macs running version 13.3.1, the update adds an (a) to your OS version to denote that it's been installed. —Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 1 May 2023

Not only would that be an offensive way to denote a mental health crisis, but also, loving cats doesn't imply a lack of sanity. —Staff Report, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2023

Musk himself has promoted transphobic narratives, including belittling the practice of openly denoting one’s pronouns. —Julia Malleck, Quartz, 19 Apr. 2023

Now yellow check marks indicate corporate accounts, while gray check marks denote the accounts of government officials. —Kate Conger, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2023

The error in District 1 stemmed from a typo on election workers' instructions denoting which ballot to give voters in different parts of the ward. —Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle French denoter, from Latin denotare, from de- + notare to note

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

denote

verb

de·​note di-ˈnōt 

1

: to mark out plainly : point out : indicate

the hands of a clock denote the time

2

: to make known : show

smiled to denote pleasure

3

: to have the meaning of : mean, name

the word "derby" can denote a horse race or a kind of hat