1
as in emblem
a device, design, or figure used as an identifying mark
that ensign of tutorial authority, the hickory stick
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2
as in flag
a piece of cloth with a special design that is used as an emblem or for signaling
fittingly, the organization promoting the welfare of marine life features a dolphin on its ensign
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ensign
Worse still, scans show portions of Gamble’s brain have died, which sends the ensign into a panic.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
My dad was an ensign on the USS Pensacola for three years, three months and three days in the South Pacific.
—Jim Martin, Denver Post, 26 May 2025
Othello star Jake Gyllenhaal’s backstage home-away-from-home in Broadway’s Barrymore theater is an extension of the Shakespearean world he’s been steeped in while developing his version of Iago, the duplicitous ensign to the titular Venetian army general played by Denzel Washington.
—Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 24 Mar. 2025
Usually the obscure one is Othello’s ensign, Iago.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ensign
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
My dad was an ensign on the USS Pensacola for three years, three months and three days in the South Pacific.
—Jim Martin, Denver Post, 26 May 2025
Othello star Jake Gyllenhaal’s backstage home-away-from-home in Broadway’s Barrymore theater is an extension of the Shakespearean world he’s been steeped in while developing his version of Iago, the duplicitous ensign to the titular Venetian army general played by Denzel Washington.
—Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 24 Mar. 2025
Usually the obscure one is Othello’s ensign, Iago.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ensign
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensign
Noun
-
Many waved pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flags bearing the lion-and-sun emblem.—
Yarden Segev,
NBC news,
1 Mar. 2026
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But in all of these directors’ productions the presence of nonprofessionals is both a pursuit of progress in cinematic form and an emblem of that effort.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Russian athletes will compete under their own flag at the Paralympics for the first time in more than a decade, and the country’s national anthem could be played for gold medalists for the first time on the stage of a major global sporting event since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.—
Tales Azzoni,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Iran’s armed forces denied launching drones at Azerbaijan and suggested the incident may have been a false-flag operation by Israel.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And that, Chaccour says, set the stage for ivermectin to take center stage as a symbol of politicized medicine.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
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After the war, jackets began to be worn for reasons of style rather than utility, spurred on by a wave of films like 1953’s The Wild One, in which Marlon Brando turned the leather motorcycle jacket into the ultimate symbol of youthful rebellion.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These signups and banner ads aren’t typically blocked by standard pop-up blockers.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
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The President’s unpopularity looks increasingly likely to cost the Party in November, but, so far, Republicans in these races are still running under the MAGA banner.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The machines engrave writing and logos; the staff carves bigger shapes with chainsaws, chisels, and other handheld tools.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
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Molina wanted to rebrand Sidecca with a new logo, bags and art, and connected with Bolding about that and a possible mural inside the store.—
Solvej Schou,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ensign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensign. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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