icon

American  

[ahy-kon] / ˈaɪ kɒn /

Also ikon,

noun

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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Related Words

See image.

Etymology

Origin of icon

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

Example Sentences

Some of the new chicken offerings, in particular, would likely surprise a lot of people who’ve lost interest in the 85-year-old icon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Outside of the culinary sphere, tomatoes have also become something of a cultural icon, thanks to a “Tomato Girl” microtrend that took off in summer 2023.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

Bass was, in part, bolstered by the endorsements she received from celebrated Latino leaders such as labor icon Dolores Huerta, Sen. Alex Padilla and former L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

A 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat ordered to stand trial over the 1961 killing of Congolese independence icon Patrice Lumumba has appealed the decision, his lawmaker said Friday.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The Mona Lisa becomes an icon of the Romantic age.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

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