indicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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indicates,
present (3rd person singular)
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indicated,
past participle, past
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indicating
present participle
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to be a sign of; betoken; evidence; show.
His hesitation really indicates his doubt about the venture.
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to point out or point to; direct attention to.
to indicate a place on a map.
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to show, as by measuring or recording; make known.
The thermometer indicates air temperature.
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to state or express, especially briefly or in a general way; signal.
He indicated his disapproval but did not go into detail.
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Medicine/Medical.
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(of symptoms) to point out (a particular remedy, treatment, etc.) as suitable or necessary.
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to show the presence of (a condition, infection, etc.).
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verb
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(may take a clause as object) to be or give a sign or symptom of; imply
cold hands indicate a warm heart
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to point out or show
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(may take a clause as object) to state briefly; suggest
he indicated what his feelings were
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(of instruments) to show a reading of
the speedometer indicated 50 miles per hour
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(usually passive) to recommend or require
surgery seems to be indicated for this patient
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interindicateverb (used with object)
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reindicateverb (used with object)
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indicatableadjective
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indicatoryadjective
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unindicatedadjective
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well-indicatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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indicatesimple
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indicatessimple
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have indicatedperfect
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has indicatedperfect
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am indicatingprogressive
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are indicatingprogressive
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is indicatingprogressive
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have been indicatingperfect progressive
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has been indicatingperfect progressive
Past
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indicatedsimple
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had indicatedperfect
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was indicatingprogressive
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were indicatingprogressive
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had been indicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of indicate
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin indicātus, past participle of indicāre “to point, make known,” equivalent to indic- (stem of index ) “pointer, marker, informer” + -ātus past participle suffix; see index, -ate 1
Explanation
To indicate means to point something out or to present evidence. If you feel sick during a car trip, you can indicate this to the driver by groaning loudly or announcing "I'm going to be sick!" Scientists rely on data from experiments to indicate whether their theories are correct. Indicate can also describe a symptom or signal of something else. For example, a stock market recovery could indicate growing public confidence — or foolishness, depending on which expert you ask. The verb indicate comes from the noun indication, which in turn comes from the Latin word indicare, meaning "something that points out or shows."
Vocabulary lists containing indicate
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
Surveys taken since late summer indicate a majority of Texan Hispanic voters disapprove of the president.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The reports indicate a generally stable economy with less than a week before the Federal Reserve is set to decide on whether to raise rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
These results suggest that the heart can adjust to prolonged weightlessness more effectively than early measurements might indicate, particularly when astronauts maintain regular physical activity.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
In instances where those voters’ birthplace was “meaningfully reported, 38.9% indicate that they were born in the United States, which is strong evidence of citizenship,” Flores wrote, while 71.2% showed no record of ever voting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Then you’re supposed to make up a story whereby you indicate to the cop how much money you have on you.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
But the text indicates that U.S. purchasing rights expire in half that time and that the underlying operating rights appear to run afoul of Venezuelan laws limiting oil concessions to 25 years.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
The new study — published by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Learning Policy Institute — indicates that preschool and TK can help close that gap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
I’m standing in that field, and on a laptop screen I see the two vehicles beside me, both marked with a green X that indicates a target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Instead, it indicates that the brain can carry out surprisingly complex aspects of language processing without a person being aware of doing so.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
We walk silently until Muhammad indicates a turn.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
This indicated that at least some of the adaptations were persistent rather than simply short-lived responses to their surroundings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
However, it didn’t comment on its intention to return to growth this year, as it had previously indicated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Burnham has previously indicated he will work there at least once a week, and hosted the Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin in September.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
The book was shrouded in suspicion and withdrawn from the shortlist for France's top book prize, the Goncourt, after tests with AI detector Pangram indicated a 100-percent probability it contained computer-generated text.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Every outward sign had indicated that Burn would vote against suffrage.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
While the deaths have since been added back to the tally, they are marked with an asterisk indicating that the “number is subject to change.”
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said that speeds of more than 400km/h were now possible on the network, indicating that full capability had been restored.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Momentum looks to have continued through September, with the data agency’s early estimate indicating sales for the month rose 0.7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Elon needs something that is forward indicating for Tesla, and selling more electric cars isn’t it,” said Karl Brauer, an auto analyst at iSeeCars.com.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
“Esa es nuestra parada,” Sergio says, indicating this is our stop.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
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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.
