symbolize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
symbolizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
symbolized,
past participle, past
-
symbolizing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
symbolizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
symbolized,
past participle, past
-
symbolizing
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to serve as or be a symbol of
-
to represent by a symbol or symbols
-
(intr) to use symbols
-
(tr) to treat or regard as symbolic or figurative
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
symbolizesimple
-
symbolizessimple
-
have symbolizedperfect
-
has symbolizedperfect
-
am symbolizingprogressive
-
are symbolizingprogressive
-
is symbolizingprogressive
-
have been symbolizingperfect progressive
-
has been symbolizingperfect progressive
Past
-
symbolizedsimple
-
had symbolizedperfect
-
was symbolizingprogressive
-
were symbolizingprogressive
-
had been symbolizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of symbolize
From the New Latin word symbolizāre, dating back to 1580–90. See symbol, -ize
Explanation
Use the verb symbolize when you use an image, shape, color, or other simple visual to stand for something else, like when you wear black to symbolize that you're mourning a loss. To symbolize is to make a symbol out of something. Symbolize traces back to the Greek word symbolon, which combines syn-, meaning "together," and bol, meaning "to throw." The earliest Christians were, so to speak, "thrown together" because of their beliefs, and so the Christian "marks" that represented their belief in one God became the first items to be described as symbols.
Vocabulary lists containing symbolize
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary to Describe Literary Devices
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Some commentaries noted it was less about substance than ceremony and symbolism, but what did it commemorate or symbolize?
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
The hills, glittering with celebrity, seemed to symbolize a culture and people that existed largely on the surface.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Having something physical to symbolize that makes you feel like you’re in this insider club,” she added, referring to tech-company-branded timepieces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Built as part of efforts to modernize Venezuela, the buildings now symbolize the country's dire situation after twin quakes on Wednesday left nearly 1,500 people confirmed dead and tens of thousands missing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
I was born lost and take no pleasure in being found, nor much identification from shapes which symbolize continents and states.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a surprise trip across the border to neighboring China, traveling across a new bridge that links the two countries and symbolizes their warming ties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
In part, however, it is being led by the film that most aptly symbolizes Zaslav’s failures.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
A: Ruth symbolizes what she herself expressed: decency.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026
“It symbolizes everything Vietnam was,” he told me.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
But as state "bodegas" disappear, the "libreta" ration book that symbolized equal access to affordable food for all is being quietly shelved.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
They have nothing except each other, their love symbolized by a red flower that Orpheus offers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Writers and painters often symbolized the Virgin Mary’s immaculate purity by placing her within a hedge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
She knew what “The Muppet Show” star symbolized and recognized what she meant to her misfit youngest, a zaftig kid frequently chided for taking up too much space.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
The Muslim’s “X” symbolized the true African family name that he never could know.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
They are clad variously in red porphyry, black basalt, gray granite and yellowish sandstone from nearby Montjuïc, with emblems symbolizing the four evangelists, the 12 apostles and an assortment of Catholic saints and geographic regions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Similar banners hang outside the Department of Labor and other federal buildings throughout Washington, D.C, symbolizing what’s happening at the Court and throughout the country.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2026
Hanukkah celebrates the miracle when a small amount of oil burned for eight days in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem, symbolizing how light, faith, and resilience will overcome darkness, violence and oppression.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
This mutual cooperation embodies the Japanese concept of "AUN," symbolizing balance and harmony between opposites.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2025
They would wear all white for the month after returning, symbolizing that a boy had left but a man had returned.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
