1
as in emblems
a device, design, or figure used as an identifying mark
the traditional physician's symbol of a staff entwined with a snake
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2
as in signs
a written or printed mark that is meant to convey information to the reader
the symbol ¶ indicates where a new paragraph should begin symbols such as emoji that are used in texts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of symbols
Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026
Built between the late 1800s and early 1900s, these architectural gems survived the 1906 earthquake and flourished as symbols of endurance.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The hate symbols were found covering the park on both Tuesday and Wednesday, drawing the ire of politicians and community leaders.
—Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
Drawing from the series’ most iconic symbols — bows, bees, wisteria, and friendship motifs — the collection reimagines Bridgerton’s ornate world through a modern, wearable lens.
—Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Historically, iconic cars have been powerful symbols of a country’s industrial coming-of-age.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Regime symbols were targeted deliberately.
—Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2026
The event featured some confusion around symbols.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2026
What the photographs of Maduro suggest is not the disappearance of power’s visual language, but its entanglement with symbols that operate as cultural shorthand.
—Debbie Millman, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
But the underlying concept of the meme arguably predates Dawkins — humans have long used symbols to pass along ideas, as The New York Times noted in 2022.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026
Built between the late 1800s and early 1900s, these architectural gems survived the 1906 earthquake and flourished as symbols of endurance.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The hate symbols were found covering the park on both Tuesday and Wednesday, drawing the ire of politicians and community leaders.
—Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
Drawing from the series’ most iconic symbols — bows, bees, wisteria, and friendship motifs — the collection reimagines Bridgerton’s ornate world through a modern, wearable lens.
—Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Historically, iconic cars have been powerful symbols of a country’s industrial coming-of-age.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Regime symbols were targeted deliberately.
—Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2026
The event featured some confusion around symbols.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2026
What the photographs of Maduro suggest is not the disappearance of power’s visual language, but its entanglement with symbols that operate as cultural shorthand.
—Debbie Millman, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for symbols
Noun
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Stroke by stroke, the emblems take shape over time; time Rollins spends reflecting on the drug charges that landed him in jail and what the experience has cost him.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
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Through these stories, audiences learned to view extravagant dwellings as not just emblems of individual success but portals into a fantasy life.—
Kim Hew-Low,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The girls seemed to be having a great time during these performances, interacting with fans by reacting to their costumes and signs, and creating a Candybong wave.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Many marchers also referenced the killing of Renee Nicole Good, with signs honoring both victims and calling for accountability.—
Eva Andersen,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This ring symbolizes that thread, but now that thread is no longer invisible.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
26 Jan. 2026
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There’s a version of this story that is easy and uplifting, where the hawk symbolizes freedom and saves Helen’s life and everyone lives happily ever after.—
Adam Graham,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This period changed American letters in many ways.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Called AlphaGenome, the model takes in sequences of up to one million DNA letters, also known as base pairs, and predicts how mutations in those stretches affect gene expression.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bittersweet Baking Chocolate As the name hints, this chocolate has some sugar added to it.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
26 Jan. 2026
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This discovery challenges how scientists think about the origins of sleep and hints that the basic machinery of sleeping brains is far older and more universal than anyone suspected.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Rickette owns several trademarks for the business name and sent the owners of Uncle Remy's a cease-and-desist letter.—
Charlie De Mar,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
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As always, special trademarks and protections to later adaptations and revisions still apply.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Dec. 2025
Noun
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No icons nestled between burning candles.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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All of these icons wrote and speculated on civil rights and the idea of Blackness resisting the world at large.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Malliotakis, who represents the Staten Island resident in Congress, approached Rubio after a briefing given to all House members on the capture of former dictator Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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New York Congressman Mike Lawler, a Republican who represents most of the Hudson Valley, is urging the president to lift the suspension.—
Tony Aiello,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Symbols.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbols. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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