rebus
Americannoun
plural
rebuses-
a representation of a word or phrase by pictures, symbols, etc., that suggest that word or phrase or its syllables.
Two gates and a head is a rebus for Gateshead.
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a piece of writing containing many such representations.
noun
-
a puzzle consisting of pictures representing syllables and words; in such a puzzle the word hear might be represented by H followed by a picture of an ear
-
a heraldic emblem or device that is a pictorial representation of or pun on the name of the bearer
Etymology
Origin of rebus
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin rēbus “by things” (ablative plural of rēs ), in phrase nōn verbīs sed rēbus “not by words but by things”
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.
I grew up doing crosswords, riddles and rebuses.
From Los Angeles Times
The effect of these lines, which reach back into the past while projecting far into the future, is that of a rebus, with the stunning phrase “the final whereabouts” offering one more breath of indirection.
From Los Angeles Times
“Well, my uncle gave me Mr. Lemoncello’s Phenomenal Picture Word Puzzler for Chanukah and I can’t figure out this one rebus.”
From Literature
In recent weeks, fans called out the game for inviting players to guess less familiar words such as “tapir” and “rebus.”
From Washington Post
Baric’s entrancing collage, with an incessant penchant for psychedelic dissonance, is in itself a rebus — a puzzle that derives meaning from drawings and letters.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
