exemplify
Americanverb
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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
- exemplifiable adjective
- exemplification noun
- exemplificative adjective
- exemplifier noun
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
Power Suffix: -fy
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Grade 9, List 2
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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.
The Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 and Henry David Thoreau’s 1846 tax protest exemplify American resistance to taxation.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
Habib said his two newest recruits "exemplify the kind of public servants Advance UK exists to support - principled, serious people who want to represent their communities honestly and without fear".
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
They exemplify what fairness in journalism looks like.
From Salon • Dec. 31, 2025
Few companies exemplify the clubby atmosphere and giant gains missed by everyday investors like the Elon Musk-founded rocket maker, which sends satellites and astronauts into space for the U.S. government.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025
Nor do either of those terms connote the courage people in such pains exemplify, which is why I’d ask you to frame your mental health around a word other than crazy.”
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
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.
