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
In the scripture, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a symbol of hope for Noah and his family. Sydney Borchers, Fox News, 14 Sep. 2023 Both the symbol and the text are associated with the sovereign citizen movement, a loose network of right-wing extremists who reject government and law enforcement. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Sep. 2023 Woolard took out a three-stone ring and explained its significance as a symbol of keeping God at the center of their relationship. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023 At the time of its opening, the Vostochny Cosmodrome was hailed as a symbol of Russia’s ambitions to explore space on its own. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023 The Chicago Housing Authority all but stopped maintaining it, and by the late 90s and early aughts Cabrini-Green was a symbol of broken promises. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2023 People’s Park is a national symbol of political activism. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023 There was one notable symbol of the changing times. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023 Fearsome beasts depicted without ferocity were an apt symbol for a country that had made nonviolence part of its revolutionary identity. Daniel Brook, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023
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 See More

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 26 Sep. 2023.

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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