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 findings indicate that Yuezhuornis belonged to an early branch of bird evolution rather than simply being a small predatory dinosaur with bird-like characteristics.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Surveys taken since late summer indicate a majority of Texan Hispanic voters disapprove of the president.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The head of Rosenberg Research says the results indicate sentiment among firms and households range from “mixed to bad.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
These results suggest that the heart can adjust to prolonged weightlessness more effectively than early measurements might indicate, particularly when astronauts maintain regular physical activity.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Many are portrayed pierced with arrows, and gouges in the rock indicate cave-dwellers may have flung spears at the painted game.
From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell
The full force of the deal will not take effect until both parties have complied with its closing conditions, which the agreement indicates could happen within months.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
The new study — published by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Learning Policy Institute — indicates that preschool and TK can help close that gap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"New information, confirmed over the past few days, indicates that artificial intelligence was used in the writing process" of the novel, a Boreal statement said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
The aggressive selling across AI infrastructure plays, led by Coreweave, indicates investors will likely become more selective than treating the entire ecosystem as one trade, he notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Though some have taken this tiny probability as an argument for “creation science,” the only thing it clearly indicates is that monkeys seldom write great plays.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
This indicated that at least some of the adaptations were persistent rather than simply short-lived responses to their surroundings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Los Angeles County officials reviewed a sample of 200 of those voter registrations and found that nearly 40% indicated they were born in the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Sources have indicated the former Newcastle boss is open to returning to management with United after leaving St James' Park in the close season.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Measured and indicated resources of 1.2 billion tons have the potential to extend the mine life for decades, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 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
While the deaths have since been added back to the tally, they are marked with an asterisk indicating that the “number is subject to change.”
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
The vessel updated its destination to New York before changing it to “for orders,” a designation typically indicating a vessel has no confirmed final discharge port.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Elon needs something that is forward indicating for Tesla, and selling more electric cars isn’t it,” said Karl Brauer, an auto analyst at iSeeCars.com.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Any picture generated using AI on the delivery app appears with a label indicating so, and the BBC has spotted many of the more unusual takes still up on menus.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
He felt the elevation change and the car slow down, indicating that his father had exited the freeway.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
