symbolize

verb

sym·​bol·​ize ˈsim-bə-ˌlīz 

symbolized; symbolizing

transitive verb

1

: to serve as a symbol of

2

: to represent, express, or identify by a symbol

intransitive verb

: to use symbols or symbolism

symbolizer noun

Synonyms of symbolize

• represent

Examples of symbolize in a Sentence

She came to symbolize the women's movement in America.

the flag symbolizes our country

Recent Examples on the Web

Kaporos is intended to symbolize the transfer of one’s sins to a chicken. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026

Tariffs imposed on Canadian imports now extend to hockey equipment, potentially increasing the cost of playing the very sport that perhaps best symbolizes the cultural connection between the two countries. — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Last April, Phuwin appeared in a Loewe campaign based on Songkran, the Thai New Year’s celebration that has been likened to a nationwide water fight, though its rituals are meant to symbolize cleansing, reverence and good fortune. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

Peter Max, whose trippy Day-Glo paintings came to symbolize the Flower Power era of the 1960s, died on September 18 in a hospital in New York at the age of eighty-eight. — News Desk, Artforum, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for symbolize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

symbolize

verb

sym·​bol·​ize ˈsim-bə-ˌlīz 

symbolized; symbolizing

: to serve as a symbol of

symbolization

ˌsim-bə-lə-ˈzā-shən

noun

Medical Definition

symbolize

transitive verb

sym·​bol·​ize

variants also British symbolise

ˈsim-bə-ˌlīz 

symbolized also British symbolised; symbolizing also British symbolising

1

: to serve as a symbol of

2

: to represent, express, or identify by a symbol