1
as in to characterize
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group the writer of the magazine article represented the students at the academy as a bunch of spoiled brats

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2
as in to depict
to present a picture of a painting representing the ocean at sunrise

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3
as in to symbolize
to serve as a material counterpart of this orange represents the sun and this pea represents the Earth

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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 represent The new Grapevine Mills location represents the next step. Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025 The standing ovation represented validation. Clayton Davis, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025 The brokerage represented the seller and the buyer. Samantha Gowen, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025 The dozen cupcakes in the pack, of course, represent the 12 songs on the album. Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for represent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for represent
Verb
  • The monsoon is characterized by intense heat, surges of moisture and atmospheric instability, creating clouds and storm chances in the afternoon.
    Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Abarca says complaints overblown Abarca, at the time, welcomed the investigation, characterizing the complaints as overblown.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The line in Swift's song and The Life of a Showgirl's cover art appears to be inspired by a Victorian-era painting that depicts the scene in Hamlet when Ophelia goes crazy and falls into a stream and drowns after learning Hamlet killed her father.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Stephen depicts the women’s schooltime bond in hypnotic flashbacks, and their separation largely through absence itself, with gliding, pensive shots of places—rooms, buildings, streets—where the women have been and may be again but which, onscreen, are vacant.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The almost science-fiction contraption, made by the Dutch firm ASML and heavily reliant on technology devised in the US, has come to symbolize the gap between China and the West.
    semafor.com, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Cohen then took a chainsaw to a small replica of the Pentagon, with fake dollar bills flowing out to symbolize the waste, as people who had gathered there cheered.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • These are not only crafts -- they are described here as arts.
    Dada Jovanovic, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Construction in the section of Jackson Park, often described as Chicago’s equivalent of Central Park, has been slow.
    Christine Valora, The Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The White House has also continued to troll House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries with AI videos portraying Jeffries in a sombrero and fake mustache.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • In the musical, Levy portrays Mother, the matriarch of a wealthy white family, who discovers her self-confidence and independence.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Great Recession stands as the generation’s defining economic event.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Saudis studying abroad lose the subtleties of the language and miss out on the culture, memes, and everything else that defines this generation.
    Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Represent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/represent. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

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