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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 outcome of Tuesday's Democratic primary represents the latest example of the divide among Democrats over the party's direction. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 3 June 2026 McClintock has represented the district since 2009 and was widely viewed as the favorite in the race. Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026 Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender member of Congress after being sworn in to represent Delaware’s lone House seat. Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026 For Klum, the new title represents a deeper commitment to the mission she's championed for years. Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for represent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for represent
Verb
  • Rather than a slight to Lane, Lithgow’s win is a sign of the dramatic depth that characterized this otherwise squirrely season.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
  • Such variety seemed impossible as recently as 2018, when the Golden State Warriors were at the height of their reign and decades of history suggested the NBA would always be the American sports league most characterized by dynasties.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
Verb
  • Wynn, who died last spring and for whom a wing of Zumthor’s aerodynamic structure is named, donated a Francis Bacon triptych depicting Bacon’s friend and fellow-painter Lucian Freud, the only Bacons on display in a public Los Angeles museum.
    Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
  • Moscow has long sought to depict its victory as an inevitability, demanding enormous Ukrainian concessions in exchange for any halt to the invasion -- and since January 2025 often with the explicit or implicit backing of the White House.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 4 June 2026
Verb
  • Years later, becoming her distribution partner felt like a full-circle moment — one that symbolized not only professional success, but personal growth.
    Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 8 June 2026
  • On the other hand, that sculpture now symbolizes for me not only a full circle moment, but a clear before and after in my life, and therefore as an actor.
    Marcel Ruiz, IndieWire, 8 June 2026
Verb
  • Oh, to live in a room filled with the objects described by Katherine Mansfield.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
  • But few would describe this year’s ragtag selection of new musicals as robust.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Verb
  • But the upside of this Carsley erasure is that the show can portray a smooth transition from Southgate straight to Tuchel.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 10 June 2026
  • Frémaux also drew attention to Hans Zischler, who portrays Thomas Mann in the film.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • But Kyiv’s early embrace of drones, and the mass-industrialization of their accuracy and power, has begun to exact a defining toll on Moscow.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
  • Taken together, those cultural threads help explain why food – and especially meat – carries an outsized symbolic role in Texas politics, where the official state dish, adopted in 1977, is chili, defined by its significant meat base.
    Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 29 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Represent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/represent. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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