indicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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indicates,
present (3rd person singular)
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indicated,
past participle, past
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indicating
present participle
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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:
At the same time, cerebrospinal fluid and ventricular volumes increased, as did white matter hyperintensities, which appear as bright spots on MRI scans and can indicate tissue damage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Data from Kpler indicate that the seven-day average for oil clearing the Strait is 14.19 million barrels a day, approaching the prewar baseline of 17.13 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
This could indicate the same pattern is repeating, and it is worth a closer look.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Burnham's comments indicate he plans to remove some of those red lines going into the campaign for the next general election, expected in 2029.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
You also need to indicate which one-time pad sheet you used—that’s why Abel added 207 to the top of his message.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
It also indicates that people significantly underestimate the 61% share of local government funding which comes directly from the Scottish government.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
That was up from 4.1% the previous month but still at a historically low level that indicates the labor market remains generally healthy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
That’s the message retail investors are sending as fund flow data for September indicates a strong preference developing for exchange-traded funds focused on longer-duration Treasury bonds, while the equity market remains in a holding pattern.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
"Current information indicates that there were no survivors in this crash," Mangwana posted on X.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Miss Forshaw indicates for me to come up to the front of the class.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
He seemed open to allowing at least some of the lawsuits to proceed, though he indicated there may be further questions about which states’ laws apply.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The analysts’ findings, they said, indicated that the AI models “consistently gravitate toward scale, value, convenience and brand familiarity.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
The video explainer referred to inspections only generally, and the state’s written guidance indicated only that this would need to happen before occupancy.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Police said inquiries carried out so far indicated she may be in the Northfields area of Leicester.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
For patsching or snapping, if there is no R or L indicated, both hands play simultaneously.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Meanwhile PhD student Ian Donovan from UT Southwestern Medical Centre said the source image appeared to contain a distinctive watermark indicating it had been AI generated.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Fluorite commonly forms when hot water circulates through volcanic rock, indicating that Jezero Crater experienced a later period of heated groundwater activity after the earlier interactions with groundwater and the lake.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Davidson managing director Gil Luria noted that AI companies ”across the board have been consistently indicating they do not have nearly the amount of memory they need.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Inflation has lingered at levels well above the central bank’s target of 2.5% for a long time, and officials are now indicating they can no longer afford not to act.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
At police stations, large maps were marked with flags indicating the location of the camps.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
