icons

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in symbols
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 icons Henry Jaglom, who died last year at the age of 87, was one of the true icons of American independent film. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026 The movie chronicles the famed photographer’s life and 60-year career shooting not just icons of the fashion and film worlds but also mental institutions, the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. — Siran Babayan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026 And, in other news of icons, the second installment of Cher’s memoirs is coming out on the 17th. — Victoria Uren, New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2026 On the other side, the aim is to be certain that Sephora Collection icons are scaled in all geographic markets. — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2026 His bandmates also got in on the New York theme, dressing as city landmarks and icons, including the Statue of Liberty, Andy Warhol and Anna Wintour. — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 1 Nov. 2026 Kenya’s global athletics icons, including 1500m world-record holder Faith Kipyegon, have complained over the poor state of training facilities across the country. — Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026 Who are some of the fashion girls or icons that have really influenced you? — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Oct. 2026 Campari’s marketing, from the start, has embedded and entwined itself brilliantly in the art and design of Italy itself; some of its ads have become icons of Italian culture. — M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icons
Noun
  • Millennials might see the Twisted Teens as spiritual heirs to endearingly insolent post-Y2K garage heroes like Black Lips, the King Khan & BBQ Show, and the Deadly Snakes.
    — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2026
  • One of the oddest parts of public figure status is becoming friends with your childhood heroes.
    — Steve Baltin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Identities are concealed and participants often act as a group, sometimes attacking symbols of capitalism such as luxury stores.
    — Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Gonzalez painted Monarch butterflies, too, symbols of ancestors in the Mexican culture, particularly important around Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, in early November.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Rachel Ojuromi had been in Paris for a week when one of her oldest manifestations started to become real life.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Compared with the political circus in Washington and the malaise in the rest of America, such surface-level manifestations of China’s wealth and power often lead to sweeping conclusions about relative national trajectories.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Amid the movie’s disastrous box office run, various Hollywood celebrities rallied around Cruise and the movie.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026
  • On the wall outside Shoukhrat Mitalipov’s laboratory at Oregon Health & Science University, visitors are greeted by framed portraits of furry scientific celebrities.
    — Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • James Emery, an underwater photographer from Monterey took pictures of an olive ridley sea turtle swimming near the town's wharf.
    — John Ramos, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In fact, the only previous cinematic encounter was the unfortunate 2003 live-action version with Mike Myers that flopped critically and at the box office, winning a pathetic 10 Razzie nominations as one of the worst pictures of that year.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • So notoriously gruelling are the demands on trainee idols that the Korean government has a contract template to forestall the most inhumane conditions.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2026
  • But no deal has materialized because Fenkel and Katz have ruthlessly protected A24’s cool factor (the abstract secret sauce that’s trained younger generations to reclaim the moviegoing experience and make edgy auteurs their idols).
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 4 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • My daughter happily colored images of the hotel’s then mascot, Buster the canine, while waiting for her avocado roll and edamame.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Haney challenged that reconstruction, questioning gaps in surveillance images and noting that no witness or camera captured the ignition.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • The two tied the knot in July 2010 in a New York ceremony with hundreds of guests, among them sports and entertainment stars including LeBron James, Spike Lee, Serena Williams, Ciara, Kim Kardashian and Ludacris, The Times reported.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • While two of the three semifinalists had a base camp here, and international stars like Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham lived in Kansas City, the biggest story arguably was what happened west of town.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Icons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icons. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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