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:
The new measurements indicate that this first shock may not need to be as strong as previously thought.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Treasury to at least double the scale of its bond-buyback operation, longer-term yields are starting to climb again, and stock-market futures indicate weakness ahead.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
The number of job vacancies has fallen to its lowest level in more than five years as smaller businesses cut back on recruitment, the latest official figures indicate.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Attention will turn to results from large U.S. retailers this week, which will indicate the impact of recent turbulence on U.S. consumer sentiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Then I told him what Reb Saunders had said to me after Havdalah and what Danny and I had talked about on his way home, and he smiled proudly and nodded to indicate his happiness.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
Despite this intense competition, new research indicates that crocodylians occupied an especially important place in the ecosystem and were the most significant group of predators in the region.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
It indicates a "systemic problem which transcends one rogue doctor and one rogue clinic", according to the British Fertility Society.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
That finding indicates that the worm can tap into the PHA reserves stored inside its symbiotic bacteria.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
However, Jefferies said the supply-chain work indicates the model has been canceled due to “poor production yield,” a reference to the amount of usable product that the company gets through the manufacturing process.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
The structures at Göbekli Tepe are dated to about 9500 BC, and all available evidence indicates that they were built by hunter-gatherers.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Before dropping out of the race, polls indicated that Swalwell was among the front-runners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday indicated that his department could make additional moves in the wake of its announcement that it would at least double the size of its buybacks of longer-dated Treasury bonds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Treasury yields gave back some of their sharp increases after fresh data indicated weakness in the U.S. economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Barrack said that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel forces against Assad, "has neither adopted not maintained proxy forces" and "repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
He indicated a post that was in fact signless and looked momentarily struck.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index rose 0.2% in July to 99.5, indicating that moderate economic growth could be coming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Today there is a framed photo of Lynch over the door of the Burbank location, indicating that his love for the restaurant was mutual.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Different observations had produced very different estimates, with some suggesting there was relatively little matter and others indicating much more.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
The tree was also linked to the 1832 cholera outbreak, with historical records indicating money was deposited there in exchange for food to reduce contact between people.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The ring began to glow red, indicating his immunity.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
