denote

American  

[dih-noht] / dɪˈnoʊt /

verb (used with object)

• denotes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• denoted,
  past participle,  past
• denoting
  present participle

1. to be a mark or sign of; indicate.

   A fever often denotes an infection.

   Synonyms:

   evidence, signify, signal, mark

2. to be a name or designation for; mean.

3. to represent by a symbol, or to be a symbol for.

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denote British  

/ dɪˈnəʊt /

verb

1. to be a sign, symbol, or symptom of; indicate or designate

2. (of words, phrases, expressions, etc) to have as a literal or obvious meaning

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• denotement
  noun
• denotable
  adjective
• undenotable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• denoting
  present
• denoted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• denote
  simple
• denotes
  simple
• have denoted
  perfect
• has denoted
  perfect
• am denoting
  progressive
• are denoting
  progressive
• is denoting
  progressive
• have been denoting
  perfect progressive
• has been denoting
  perfect progressive

Past

• denoted
  simple
• had denoted
  perfect
• was denoting
  progressive
• were denoting
  progressive
• had been denoting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will denote
  simple
• will have denoted
  perfect
• will be denoting
  progressive
• will have been denoting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of denote

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French dénoter, Latin dēnotāre “to mark out,” equivalent to dē- de- + notāre “to mark”; see note

Compare meaning

How does denote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• denote vs. connote

Explanation

To denote is to draw attention to something or to show what it means. All of the googly-eyed looks that a girl gives to a boy might do more to denote her feelings for him than leaving a note in his locker. Denote comes from the Latin root dēnotāre, "to mark out." Using a particular facial expression can denote meaning, as in, "All of the crinkled foreheads and squinted eyebrows denoted a lack of understanding among the math students." Words and symbols also point to, or denote, meaning, "If he had used PST to denote the fact that he was in the Pacific time zone, she would have known that it was only 4:00 a.m. and too early to call from New York."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

denote denotes denoted denoting

She called them unicorns to denote their exceptional rareness.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

Men in the 17th century wore the "periwig" - long, voluminous artificial curls - to denote wealth and high social status.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

Before long, Ms. Kobza notes, a new term entered the English vocabulary to denote an “assembly of maskers.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

If you think those pies denote happiness, you would be right.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

I use the term racial caste in this book the way it is used in common parlance to denote a stigmatized racial group locked into an inferior position by law and custom.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

The school also plans to add a plaque to the facility that denotes that it stands on the ground where Brian Kennedy Field once stood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

This finalist for Oxford’s 2025 Word of the Year denotes the “cultivation of an impressive, attractive, or charismatic persona.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026

Their goal in their personal work is to combine theme park-like art direction with scrappy, budget-friendly immersive theater, a term that typically denotes some level of active participation on the part of the guest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025

It denotes "significant impacts" for the health and social care services.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2025

It denotes the first fever of human pair bonding.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

This zone of extreme pessimism is denoted by the shaded area at the bottom of the chart above.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026

"The Premier League's dominance is just denoted as a matter of fact," Honigstein said.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

Mr. Robbins returns in the last play, which gives the evening its title, again on a first date, with a character denoted only as Girl, played with cool poise by Dylan Gelula.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

The lone, unnamed gladiatrix in the 2000 film is played by stuntwoman Jane Omorogbe, denoted under “stunts” in the closing credits.

From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2024

Einstein assumed that everybody—no matter at what speed they are traveling—agrees about the speed of light in a vacuum: about 300 million meters per second, a constant denoted by the letter c.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

"Code Purple" alerts, denoting air quality considered very unhealthy for everyone, not just at-risk groups, blanketed much of the city as well as the wider region, including neighboring Virginia and Maryland.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

The NHS says, external the star rating measures the amount of UVA protection, with more stars denoting increased protection.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

In early scenes, he has a small curved line denoting a chubby chin, which changes over time to straight lines on each cheek, narrowing his face when he is old and infirm.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026

The death certificate for Katherine Elizabeth Hartley, which was obtained by TMZ, includes a field denoting how the injury occurred.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026

The second one makes a twirling motion beside his ear, with his finger, denoting craziness.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• stand for