denote
Americanverb (used with object)
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denotes,
present (3rd person singular)
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denoted,
past participle, past
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denoting
present participle
verb
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to be a sign, symbol, or symptom of; indicate or designate
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(of words, phrases, expressions, etc) to have as a literal or obvious meaning
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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denotesimple
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denotessimple
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have denotedperfect
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has denotedperfect
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am denotingprogressive
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are denotingprogressive
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is denotingprogressive
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have been denotingperfect progressive
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has been denotingperfect progressive
Past
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denotedsimple
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had denotedperfect
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was denotingprogressive
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were denotingprogressive
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had been denotingperfect progressive
Future
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:
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."
Vocabulary lists containing denote
Romeo and Juliet
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Othello
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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:
Wilde “read” the water, pointing out the seams on the surface that denote shifting currents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Two official signs, placed by the city, denote the location’s significance.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
As part of her quest to revive N|uu, she and her granddaughter, Claudia Snyman, established a school for the language, which uses special characters in script to denote the verbal clicks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
There aren’t even historical markers to denote the significance of those city lots.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2025
In the summer of 1909, almost exactly a century later, the botanist Wilhelm Johannsen coined a distinct word to denote a unit of heredity.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
They have questioned whether the government can provide enough water to help cool data centers in a city the World Resources Institute denotes as under “extremely high” water stress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 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
Rather, it denotes licentiousness and lack of control, the actions of a toddler gorging himself on chocolate until he is sick.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 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
About 100 feet away, a metal post denoted the park’s boundary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 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
He turned its blue ticks - which previously denoted that a high-profile account was bona fide - into a subscription model, and tied advertising payments to "verified" users to the number of interactions they receive.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2024
Enthroned there under his hat, he observed our household through his un-glasses and swished the animal-tail fly swatter that denoted his station in life.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
"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
Definitions 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.
