variants also ikon
1
as in hero
a person who is the object of extreme or uncritical devotion Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and other icons of pop culture

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2
as in symbol
a written or printed mark that is meant to convey information to the reader the player's remote control is very user-friendly as it doesn't use any icons that you haven't seen a million times before

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of icon The Apollo Theatre This is a Harlem icon. Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025 It is slated to feature a wide range of collabs with friends and fellow hip-hop icons including Tyler, The Creator and producers including Pharrell Williams, Mike Dean, Hitkidd, Madlib and Metro Boomin. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025 Toews was a Chicago Blackhawks icon for 1,067 games prior to the health problems that took him away from hockey. Murat Ates, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 Now, the Brooklyn-native and cultural icon is continuing her aspirational streak as Estée Lauder‘s first-ever Brand Ambassador for North America—marking a major moment in both her career and the brand’s history. Larry Stansbury, Essence, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for icon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icon
Noun
  • Wembley possessed an unmatched ability to create sporting heroes, as proved by a roll call featuring Sir Stanley Matthews, George Best, Ferenc Puskas and Sir Geoff Hurst.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The book’s hero was inspired by Knox, an orphan who lived with the author and his wife, Janine, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In time, the apple’s proliferation on American soil and the ubiquity of apple pie on American menus would help turn the dessert into a patriotic symbol.
    Victoria Flexner, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
  • For now, Figure 03 remains a striking symbol of progress and a reminder that the leap from lab to living room is not quite complete.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Zelig’s technology renders garments on avatars and shows fabric textures and how the fabrics drape, fold and bunch on models of different heights, sizes and proportions, using thousands of proprietary data points.
    David Moin, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Fans can get a peek at the hip-hop star’s avatar in a trailer that also dropped Thursday.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Rowling continues to speak out and be drawn into online battles about her views, but the controversies don’t seem to be affecting the star power behind new Potter projects.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 12 Oct. 2025
  • And the stars really did align for Grogan and the team.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The images could look livelier this season.
    Rob Rossi, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The initiative, which aims to strengthen the country’s image abroad and attract foreign industry by promoting the Brazilian film industry, is the result of a Technical and Financial Cooperation Agreement between the two organizations.
    Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • On screen, the character of Grofield flirts with danger the way an artist flirts with an audience.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
  • But the Bears rebounded with encouraging victories — a home thrashing of the Cowboys followed by a character-building come-from-behind magic act in Las Vegas.
    Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The movie follows the Shakers’ irrepressible leader — who espoused gender and social equality while believing herself to be the female incarnation of Christ.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
  • In its original incarnation, the group stood in opposition to the House Un-American Activities Committee’s Joseph McCarthy-era interrogations of Hollywood figures suspected of communist sympathies.
    Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Each episode features Bastianich and a celebrity guest tasting four interpretations of the dish, and scoring each one from 0 to 10 to determine the best version in town.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Icon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icon. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.

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