indicate

verb in·di·cate \ ˈin-də-ˌkāt \

Updated on: 25 May 2018

Definition of indicate

indicated; indicating

transitive verb

1 a : to point out or point to

b : to be a sign, symptom, or index of

the high fever indicates a serious condition

c : to demonstrate or suggest the necessity or advisability of

indicated the need for a new school

the indicated treatment

2 : to state or express briefly

indicated a desire to cooperate

See indicate defined for English-language learners

See indicate defined for kids

Examples of indicate in a Sentence

Our records indicate a depth of 3,000 feet here.
The map indicates where the treasure is buried.
There is nothing to indicate that the two events are connected.
The size of his offer indicates that he is eager to buy the house.
The general used a long ruler to indicate on the map exactly where the troops would land.
We asked how to get to the rear entrance, and he indicated a path leading around the right side of the building.

Recent Examples of indicate from the Web

There were no visible signs of damage from another vehicle and no debris or glass on the ground to indicate there was an accident.

— alexandra kukulka, chicagotribune.com, "Police: Lawn care items stolen from Willow Hill Golf Course," 22 May 2018
Barras, however, seemed to indicate a compromise was in the works.

— kevin litten, NOLA.com, "Harrah's Casino extension dies as Louisiana Legislature adjourns," 18 May 2018
The uniform adjustment comes over two weeks after Bauer made cryptic tweets that seemed to indicate some Astros pitchers use foreign substances to doctor baseballs in order to improve their spin rates.

— matt wyatt, Houston Chronicle, "Indians’ Trevor Bauer adds ‘Tyler’ to his jersey for Astros game," 18 May 2018
And earlier on Tuesday, North Korea appeared to shut down a nuclear test site, in a step designed to indicate its seriousness about making major concessions ahead of the meeting with Trump.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "North Korea Cancels Talks With South Over Military Exercises," 15 May 2018
Fortas, who sucks her thumb in bed to indicate that Sheherazade is still a child, demonstrates surprising maturity in the closing scenes.

— deborah young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Sheherazade': Film Review | Cannes 2018," 14 May 2018
Economists consider a five- or six-month supply to indicate a more balanced market, while anything below suggests a strong seller's market.

— elliot njus, OregonLive.com, "Median Portland-area home price tops $400,000 for first time in April," 14 May 2018
The woman tossed a ball, containing either blue or pink powder to indicate whether the baby will be a boy or girl, and threw it way too high jump.

— chris chavez, SI.com, "Watch: Cubs Fans Totally Mess Up Gender Reveal Outside Wrigley Field," 14 May 2018
That would seem to indicate Walmart Canada is taking shots in the dark here.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: E3 rumors start springing forth, EA doubles down on loot boxes," 11 May 2018

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