token

[ toh-kuhn ]

/ ˈtoʊ kən /

noun

something serving to represent or indicate some fact, event, feeling, etc.; sign: Black is a token of mourning.

a characteristic indication or mark of something; evidence or proof: Malnutrition is a token of poverty.

a memento; souvenir; keepsake: The seashell was a token of their trip.

something used to indicate authenticity, authority, etc.; emblem; badge: Judicial robes are a token of office.

Also called token coin. a stamped piece of metal, issued as a limited medium of exchange, as for bus fares, at a nominal value much greater than its commodity value.

anything of only nominal value similarly used, as paper currency.

an item, idea, person, etc., representing a group; a part as representing the whole; sample; indication.

Logic, Linguistics. a particular instance of a word, symbol, expression, sentence, or the like: A printed page might have twenty tokens of the single type-word “and.”Compare type(def 8).

verb (used with object)

to be a token of; signify; symbolize.

adjective

serving as a token: a token gift; a token male on an all-female staff.

slight; perfunctory; minimal: token resistance.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for token

by the same token,

in proof of which.
moreover; furthermore: She has a talent as a painter, and by the same token has a sharp eye for detail.

in token of, as a sign of; in evidence of: a ring in token of his love.

Origin of token

before 900; Middle English; Old English tāc(e)n; cognate with German Zeichen, Old Norse teikn sign, mark. See teach

SYNONYMS FOR token

10 symbolic.

OTHER WORDS FROM token

pre·to·ken, noun, verb (used with object)

Words nearby token

tokara islands, tokay, toke, tokelau, tokelau islands, token, token economy, token money, token payment, token strike, token vote

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for in token of

token

/ (ˈtəʊkən) /

noun

an indication, warning, or sign of something

a symbol or visible representation of something

something that indicates authority, proof, or authenticity

a metal or plastic disc, such as a substitute for currency for use in slot machines

a memento

a gift voucher that can be used as payment for goods of a specified value

(modifier) as a matter of form only; nominala token increase in salary

linguistics a symbol regarded as an individual concrete mark, not as a class of identical symbolsCompare type (def. 11)

philosophy an individual instance: if the same sentence has different truth-values on different occasions of utterance the truth-value may be said to attach to the sentence-tokenCompare type (def. 13)

by the same token moreover and for the same or a similar reason

verb

(tr) to act or serve as a warning or symbol of; betoken

Word Origin for token

Old English tācen; related to Old Frisian tēken, Old Saxon tēkan, Old High German zeihhan, Old Norse teikn; see teach

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with in token of (1 of 2)

in token of

As a sign or symbol of, as in He gave her a ring in token of his love, or In token of our esteem, we dedicate this hospital wing to Dr. Lurie. [Early 1500s]

Idioms and Phrases with in token of (2 of 2)

token

see by the same token; in token of.