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:
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
Presidents not only symbolize and embody the values of the nation — they reveal them.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
The city owes more than its name to the first commander in chief; George Washington encouraged the French developer Pierre Charles L’Enfant to design a capital that would symbolize the nation.
From Slate ● May 18, 2026
Once known for its Quaker past and links to Richard Nixon, the city is coming to symbolize a new set of aspirations.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Just about everything a field hockey ball could symbolize.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
Instead of being concerned with product placement, they had an innate understanding of what their office symbolizes and demands.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2026
For me, the ash cross symbolizes how to repent—at the cross.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
For a few seconds I look at the scales that represent Candor, the eye that stands for Erudite, and the tree that symbolizes Amity.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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
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
A theatergoer was called upon to play the vet who euthanized the narrator’s childhood pet, a dog named Indiana Bones that was symbolized by a coat someone volunteered from the audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 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
To the unabashedly chauvinistic Time, the youthful Professor Lawrence’s career symbolized the emergence of American science as the lodestar of international research.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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
The following day, on his way to court, Serhii faced news crews and raised three fingers—a Ukrainian salute symbolizing the Tryzub, the national emblem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025
This mutual cooperation embodies the Japanese concept of "AUN," symbolizing balance and harmony between opposites.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2025
Dmitriev, who heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund, said Musk's company could build the tunnel -- a project "symbolizing unity" -- in under eight years.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025
There was a skit in which the Panther mascot moved about ripping up paper tombstones symbolizing Permian’s fallen opponents.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
