typify
verb
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.
Examples of typify in a Sentence
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
The mayor said the Knicks' miraculous comeback in Game 4 typified New York's never-say-die spirit.
—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
18 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for typify
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
18 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for typify
Cite this Entry
“Typify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/typify. Accessed 26 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
