symbol

1 of 2

noun

sym·​bol ˈsim-bəl How to pronounce symbol (audio)
1
: an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine : creed
2
: something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance
especially : a visible sign of something invisible
the lion is a symbol of courage
3
: an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities
4
: an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed
phallic symbols
5
: an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response

symbol

2 of 2

verb

symboled or symbolled; symboling or symbolling

Examples of symbol in a Sentence

Noun the traditional physician's symbol of a staff entwined with a snake the symbol ¶ indicates where a new paragraph should begin
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Bluer also is accused of spray-painting swastikas, a racist slur, symbols and other graffiti on a public bathroom at Trombly Park in Warren. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024 Beam Global stock is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol BEEM. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 The buildings represent a physical symbol of the spirit and culture that couldn’t be crushed. Naomi Tomky, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2024 And other symbols representing the same cause have been spotted on red carpets throughout awards season. TIME, 11 Mar. 2024 Opponents of the law said it was vaguely written, which led to most school districts in the state interpreting it to mean that discussion and symbols of LGBTQ+ subjects — such as rainbow flags — were forbidden. Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 It was designed to look like the Chinese symbol for ‘shang,’ meaning upwards, when viewed from the sky. Brad Spurgeon, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Related article China’s military has become an untouchable nationalist symbol. Nectar Gan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Stars have been wearing the red enamel lapel pin since the Feb. 4 Grammy awards, where Annie Lennox and Phoebe Bridgers were among those who seen wearing the symbol of activism. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
Verb
The laser eyes symbol that Saylor incorporated into his profile picture started in online Bitcoin communities but has spread to the mainstream. Fortune, 13 June 2022 Press and hold the app icon, tap App Info (the i symbol), and tap Permissions. Julian Chokkattu, Wired, 8 Sep. 2020 The Unicode Consortium—the organization in charge of determining which symbols our devices are supposed to recognize—has more and more been measuring the wrong thing in the process of approving new emoji. Wired, 8 Nov. 2019 Drawing route cards and placing trains remains the same, but most tracks on the board that connect two cities also have one or more railroad company symbols next to them. Keith Law, Ars Technica, 12 Oct. 2019 To me that demonstrated the central role that symbols play in the culture. Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, 16 Mar. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'symbol.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in other senses from Latin symbolum token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together, compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at devil

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of symbol was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near symbol

Cite this Entry

“Symbol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbol. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

symbol

noun
sym·​bol
ˈsim-bəl
1
: something that stands for something else
especially : something real that stands for or suggests another thing that cannot in itself be pictured or shown
the lion is a symbol of courage
2
: a letter, character, or sign used instead of a word or group of words
the sign + is the symbol for addition

Medical Definition

symbol

noun
sym·​bol ˈsim-bəl How to pronounce symbol (audio)
: something that stands for or suggests something else: as
a
: an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities
b
: an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed
phallic symbols
symbolic adjective
symbolically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on symbol

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