indicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to be a sign of; betoken; evidence; show.
His hesitation really indicates his doubt about the venture.
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to point out or point to; direct attention to.
to indicate a place on a map.
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to show, as by measuring or recording; make known.
The thermometer indicates air temperature.
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to state or express, especially briefly or in a general way; signal.
He indicated his disapproval but did not go into detail.
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Medicine/Medical.
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(of symptoms) to point out (a particular remedy, treatment, etc.) as suitable or necessary.
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to show the presence of (a condition, infection, etc.).
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verb
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(may take a clause as object) to be or give a sign or symptom of; imply
cold hands indicate a warm heart
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to point out or show
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(may take a clause as object) to state briefly; suggest
he indicated what his feelings were
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(of instruments) to show a reading of
the speedometer indicated 50 miles per hour
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(usually passive) to recommend or require
surgery seems to be indicated for this patient
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interindicateverb (used with object)
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reindicateverb (used with object)
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indicatableadjective
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indicatoryadjective
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unindicatedadjective
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well-indicatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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indicatesimple
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indicatessimple
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have indicatedperfect
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has indicatedperfect
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am indicatingprogressive
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are indicatingprogressive
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is indicatingprogressive
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have been indicatingperfect progressive
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has been indicatingperfect progressive
Past
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indicatedsimple
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had indicatedperfect
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was indicatingprogressive
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were indicatingprogressive
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had been indicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of indicate
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin indicātus, past participle of indicāre “to point, make known,” equivalent to indic- (stem of index ) “pointer, marker, informer” + -ātus past participle suffix; see index, -ate 1
Explanation
To indicate means to point something out or to present evidence. If you feel sick during a car trip, you can indicate this to the driver by groaning loudly or announcing "I'm going to be sick!" Scientists rely on data from experiments to indicate whether their theories are correct. Indicate can also describe a symptom or signal of something else. For example, a stock market recovery could indicate growing public confidence — or foolishness, depending on which expert you ask. The verb indicate comes from the noun indication, which in turn comes from the Latin word indicare, meaning "something that points out or shows."
Vocabulary lists containing indicate
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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.
See Examples For:
The results indicate that the mantle beneath the Kermadec island arc melts in the presence of water and at relatively high temperatures, above the sulfide liquidus.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
While a final agreement still needs to be reached, sources indicate a deal between the clubs is now close, with discussions at an advanced stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
While markets have expected another 25%-30% memory price hike on quarter in 3Q, Jefferies’ most recent industry checks indicate the increase could be more moderate in the range of 15%-20%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
None of these arguments indicate that a ban on vote-betting is necessarily required by those states that ban vote-buying.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Then you’re supposed to make up a story whereby you indicate to the cop how much money you have on you.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
The report indicates that PM Takaichi is likely to instruct the Liberal Democratic Party to begin internal procedures, possibly as early as Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Published in Nature, the mouse study also indicates that a patient's genetic background could affect how they respond to cancer treatments that damage DNA.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
His decision to sell his California home indicates that he has taken one step further towards that dream.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
"Everything we see here indicates that this was an Islamist terror attack," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
The position of the gap indicates the role that the modified phrase played in the deep structure; to understand the relative clause, we mentally fill it back in.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
As officers reached the scene at about 21:50 BST, reports indicated several vehicles had crashed with the pedestrian, including a marked police car when it arrived.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
At their last meeting, half of policymakers indicated that they saw the need for at least one rate hike before the end of the year.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Of the students surveyed after receiving services, Safe at Home indicated that 99% reported feeling safer and 93% said they used the tools they learned in counseling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Executives at each of those companies clearly indicated in May that they had no intention of granting Starlink this sort of arrangement.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
Even if Mendel was aware of a potential connection between his “units of heredity” and evolution—his prior notes had certainly indicated that he had sought such a link—he made no explicit comments on the topic.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
In premarket trading Tuesday, SK Hynix ADrs were indicating a fall of 4% to around $137.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
At the Fed, policymakers have been losing patience with persistent inflation, indicating that a rate hike may be near.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Also, information indicating the site was a school was publicly available online.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
A solid trading debut by SBI Funds Management could provide a much-needed lift to India’s relatively subdued IPO market, indicating robust investor interest in big-name listings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Meet you Mareth and Perdita,” Said Dulcet, indicating the man and woman next to her.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
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.
