icon

American  

[ahy-kon] / ˈaɪ kɒn /

Also ikon,

noun

icons plural

1. Digital Technology. a picture or symbol that appears on a screen and is used to represent a file, account, application, etc..

   Tap the icon to download the app.

   Click the flag icon at the top of the web page to toggle the language to English.

2. Eastern Church. a representation of some sacred personage or event, such as Christ or a saint or the Resurrection, painted usually on a wood surface and venerated for its subject.

3. a person or thing that epitomizes for many people a value, an era, a community, etc.

   Blue jeans remain an American cultural icon, despite the outsourcing of their manufacture to other countries.

4. a person or thing that is revered or idolized.

   Elvis Presley is a cultural icon of the 20th century.

5. Semiotics. a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance or analogy to it.

6. any picture, image, or other representation.

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icon British  

/ ˈaɪkɒn /

noun

1. Also: ikon.  a representation of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint, esp one painted in oil on a wooden panel, depicted in a traditional Byzantine style and venerated in the Eastern Church

2. an image, picture, representation, etc

3. a person or thing regarded as a symbol of a belief, nation, community, or cultural movement

4. a person regarded as a sex symbol or as a symbol of the latest fashion trends

5. a pictorial representation of a facility available on a computer system, that enables the facility to be activated by means of a screen cursor rather than by a textual instruction

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icon Scientific  

/ ī′kŏn′ /

1. In a graphical user interface, a picture on the screen that represents a specific file, directory, window, or program. Clicking on an icon will start the associated program or open the associated file, directory, or window.

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icon Cultural  

1. An image used in worship in the Eastern Orthodox Church and among other Christians (see also Christian) of similar traditions. Icons depict Jesus, Mary, and the saints, usually in a severe, symbolic, nonrealistic way.

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Synonym Usage

See image.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• icons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of icon

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin īcon, from Greek eikṓn “figure, image, likeness”

Explanation

An icon is a symbol. It can be literal — like the little trashcan on your computer screen — or metaphorical — as in a singer so well known by ten-year-olds, he's called a pre-teen pop icon. Icon comes to us from the Greek word eikenai, meaning "to seem or to be like." In certain religions, statues of religious figures are referred to as icons — because they are prayed to as if they were the thing they represent. Icon can also describe a person closely linked to an idea. Mahatma Gandhi is revered as an icon of peace and humanity, while Adolf Hitler is reviled as an icon of violence and hatred.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

icon icons

The city has been awash with fans cloaked in black - wearing T-shirts in tribute to Osbourne or Black Sabbath - visiting sites in the city most connected to the heavy metal icon.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Here came another global soccer icon to Major League Soccer — and to L.A., where the South Korean sensation was welcomed enthusiastically by a Korean diaspora that’s about 250,000 strong.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

There is no icon that automatically shows up on a Zoom call and no audio notification when Granola is being used on a phone call.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Olly Reed, from Navigate, said that, in March, their data showed a 30% drop in visitors from a misleading icon, while some attractions were now reporting losses of more than 50%.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

On her torso, there was a white skull that matched the Marvel Punisher icon on the cover.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

She’s backed on her earliest recordings by jazz ensembles she’d put together and led, and by such jazz icons as Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson and Coleman Hawkins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The point is this—it is as common as the grass for those seeking warrior inspiration to turn to stories and icons with real historical impacts.

From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026

The exhibit serves as a perfect canvas to include even more movie icons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

For football's two omnipotent icons, nothing feels impossible anymore.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Only true icons received that kind of news coverage.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• apotheosis
• avatar
• embodiment
• epitome
• incarnation
• manifestation
• personification
• quintessence
• representation
• symbol