typ·i·fy
ˈti-pə-ˌfī 
typified; typifying
1
: to represent in typical fashion : to constitute a typical mark or instance of
In Boston, the highly recognizable Brahmin accent … typifies the speech of New England gentry …—
Valerie Fridland
Valerie Fridland2
: to embody the essential or salient characteristics of : be the type of
Italian typifies the Romance languages.
typ·i·fi·ca·tion
ˌtipəfə̇ˈkāshən
plural -s
1
: the act of typifying
2
: something that constitutes a type
Examples of typify in a Sentence
Verb
His heroic actions typified the courage of all the firefighters at the scene.
The decor typifies the elegance of royal residences.
He typifies what a professional athlete should be.
Gothic architecture is typified by soaring rooflines and stained glass.
Recent Examples on the Web
Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
That play typified the potential Ponder’s position coach, Mike Smith, had seen in him ever since Ponder signed months earlier as an undrafted kid out of Cal Poly.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
The idea originated with Carolyn Miller’s 1984 essay Genre as Social Action, which describes genres as typified rhetorical actions based on recurrent situations.
—Tham Thi Nguyen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
McBurnie, who joined from Spanish club Las Palmas back in August, signing three days before their opening game, has typified Hull’s season — a player revitalised, a tireless worker and one of the arrivals who came in on a free transfer or loan following their EFL transfer embargo last summer.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for typify
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Verb
The community came together and chartered the city after years of feeling underrepresented — an issue typified by the construction of a football stadium despite an outcry from residents.
—Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
That play typified the potential Ponder’s position coach, Mike Smith, had seen in him ever since Ponder signed months earlier as an undrafted kid out of Cal Poly.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
The idea originated with Carolyn Miller’s 1984 essay Genre as Social Action, which describes genres as typified rhetorical actions based on recurrent situations.
—Tham Thi Nguyen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
McBurnie, who joined from Spanish club Las Palmas back in August, signing three days before their opening game, has typified Hull’s season — a player revitalised, a tireless worker and one of the arrivals who came in on a free transfer or loan following their EFL transfer embargo last summer.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for typify
Cite this Entry
“Typify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/typify. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
typify
verb
typ·i·fy
ˈtip-ə-ˌfī
typified; typifying
2
: to have or include the special or main characteristics of
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