exemplify
Americanverb (used with object)
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exemplifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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exemplified,
past participle, past
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exemplifying
present participle
verb
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to show by example
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to serve as an example of
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law
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to make an official copy of (a document from public records) under seal
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to transcribe (a legal document)
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exemplifysimple
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exemplifiessimple
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have exemplifiedperfect
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has exemplifiedperfect
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am exemplifyingprogressive
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are exemplifyingprogressive
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is exemplifyingprogressive
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have been exemplifyingperfect progressive
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has been exemplifyingperfect progressive
Past
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exemplifiedsimple
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had exemplifiedperfect
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was exemplifyingprogressive
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were exemplifyingprogressive
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had been exemplifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exemplify
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English exemplifien, from Middle French exemplifier, from Medieval Latin exemplificāre “to copy”; See exemplum, -ify
Explanation
If you exemplify something, you're the perfect example of it. Say you wear frilly shirts, knee-high boots, and black eye-make-up — you exemplify the fashion world's obsession with pirates. Exemplifying something can also mean make it clearer by offering an illustration or an example. If you want to exemplify your argument that, say, pirate gear is fashionable, you might want to show your friends some pictures of celebrities wearing eye patches.
Vocabulary lists containing exemplify
Grade 9, List 2
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Power Suffix: -fy
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The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 1
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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:
The bystander's actions "exemplify the heroism of everyday citizens who are prepared and ready to respond when innocent lives are on the line," it added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
"These investigations exemplify how Artemis and Moon Base are expanding the frontier of lunar exploration, advancing innovative technologies, deepening our understanding of the Moon's environment, and paving the way for future astronaut missions."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was established in 2002 to honor an individual in the television industry whose humanitarian efforts exemplify those of its namesake and his altruism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Even so, they exemplify the economic mobility that they claim isn’t possible in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
The 1919 experiments would exemplify the Rutherford style.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
According to Kieran no-one exemplifies this better than a young lad named Cali whom he met in Alabama.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
No one exemplifies this generous worldview better than Lotta, who turns out not to be the villain of May’s darkest imaginings but a complicated, compassionate and rather philosophical human being.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The doorknob-size piece, inlaid with carnelian, agate and lapis lazuli flowers reminiscent of the Taj, exemplifies how even the smallest functional item would be meticulously crafted and decorated in a consistent style in Mughal workshops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
He’s on the board of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and received its David Rockefeller Award, given to an “individual from the business community who exemplifies enlightened generosity.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Technology’s history exemplifies what is termed an autocatalytic process: that is, one that speeds up at a rate that increases with time, because the process catalyzes itself.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
This is best exemplified by the predominance of Rockwell in the museum’s collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
“What she absorbed of my strain, despite the courtesies of our hosts, is exemplified by her acquisition of two ulcers, which put her in the hospital for weeks at the end of the trip.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
It’s all part of his “simple approach” to life, as exemplified in his so-called Patriot Games, conducted on Tuesday.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
On the other is the left wing of the party, exemplified by Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez as well as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
What bothered me most was that Barack exemplified everything parents on the South Side often said they wanted for their kids.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The case has been widely criticised for exemplifying the erosion of freedom of expression in the city.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Microsoft’s stock is having its worst month since 2000, and it’s tracking toward one of its worst annual performances on record, exemplifying a broader rotation out of the “Magnificent Seven.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
My award supposedly resulted from a vote by teachers and fellow eighth-graders as the student exemplifying the medal’s virtues—a citizenship prize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
Here’s what they’re up to: busily exemplifying the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2024
The relative lack of material goods has led some to regard these groups as exemplifying an ethic of living lightly on the land.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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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.
