symbol

1 of 2

noun

sym·​bol ˈsim-bəl 

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

: symbolize

Synonyms

Noun

• emblem
• ensign
• hallmark
• impresa
• logo
• totem
• trademark

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

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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

Phrases Containing symbol

• sex symbol
• status symbol
• yinyang symbol
• peace symbol

• sex symbol
• status symbol
• yinyang symbol
• peace symbol

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 

: 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

sim-ˈbäl-ik 

adjective

symbolically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb