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

We watched as a red icon representing a drone appeared to loiter over Kyiv, practically above our heads at one point.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

It’s not just about attracting casual fans to watch the icon whose face adorns everything from airplanes to skin care products.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Clinicians can click on the icon to see how the patient’s risk has changed and what factors are contributing to the score.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Japanese convenience store chain FamilyMart has enlisted Lady Gaga for a recruitment campaign, convincing the pop icon to trade vocal registers for cash registers in an effort to plug staffing shortages at thousands of outlets.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

I thought about that for a second; then I tapped the new Command icon that now appeared at the edge of my display and said, “I wish for Aech, Art3mis, and Shoto to be resurrected.”

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

For instance, the system uses recognizable sounds, known as auditory icons, to tell caregivers what the problem is, so they can distinguish it immediately.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

He died in 2016, but remains one of Britain's most recognisable cultural icons.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

By 2007, both Don Omar and Hakim had cemented themselves as pioneers and icons in their respective genres.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Critic W. David Marx, looking to sum up the curiously stagnant opening decades of the 21st century, cribbed a phrase from one of its enduring icons for the title of his book “Blank Space.”

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

There were precious few opportunities for young black men in the segregated America of the 1920s, yet through music these two men became icons.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

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