rebus
noun
a representation of a word or phrase by pictures, symbols, etc., that suggest that word or phrase or its syllables.
rebuses
-
pluralof rebus.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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 ● Jul. 28, 2025
Photograph: Universal Images Group/Getty Images In essence, Griffiths had to crack an elaborate Tudor code of rebuses, ciphers, heraldic motifs and symbolic flowers to discover who the man was.
From The Guardian ● May 19, 2015
More complex rebuses are pictures whose elements, correctly named and put together, make up words or sentences.
From Time Magazine Archive
There must be a limit, even to rebuses.
From Les Misérables by Isabel Florence Hapgood
One of the most singular rebuses I have seen occurs in a window in the chapel at Lullingstone, co.
From The Curiosities of Heraldry by Mark Antony Lower
