represent
Americanverb (used with object)
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represents,
present (3rd person singular)
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represented,
past participle, past
-
representing
present participle
-
to serve to express, designate, stand for, or denote, as a word, symbol, or the like does; symbolize.
In this painting the cat represents evil and the bird, good.
- Synonyms:
- exemplify
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to express or designate by some term, character, symbol, or the like.
to represent musical sounds by notes.
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to stand or act in the place of, as a substitute, proxy, or agent does.
He represents the company in Boston.
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to speak and act for by delegated authority.
to represent one's government in a foreign country.
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to act for or in behalf of (a constituency, state, etc.) by deputed right in exercising a voice in legislation or government.
He represents Chicago's third Congressional district.
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to portray or depict; present the likeness of, as a picture does.
The painting represents him as a man 22 years old.
- Synonyms:
- delineate
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to present or picture to the mind.
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to present in words; set forth; describe; state.
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to set forth or describe as having a particular character (usually followed by as, to be, etc.).
The article represented the dictator as a benevolent despot.
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to set forth clearly or earnestly with a view to influencing opinion or action or making protest.
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to present, produce, or perform, as on a stage.
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to impersonate, as in acting.
- Synonyms:
- portray
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to serve as an example or specimen of; exemplify.
a genus represented by two species.
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to be the equivalent of; correspond to.
The llama of the New World represents the camel of the Old World.
verb (used without object)
-
represents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
represented,
past participle, past
-
representing
present participle
-
to protest; make representations against.
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Slang. to use or display a secret handshake, sign, gesture, etc., for purposes of identification.
The gang members always represent when they see one another.
verb
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to stand as an equivalent of; correspond to
our tent represents home to us when we go camping
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to act as a substitute or proxy (for)
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to act as or be the authorized delegate or agent for (a person, country, etc)
an MP represents his constituency
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to serve or use as a means of expressing
letters represent the sounds of speech
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to exhibit the characteristics of; exemplify; typify
romanticism in music is represented by Beethoven
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to present an image of through the medium of a picture or sculpture; portray
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to bring clearly before the mind
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to set forth in words; state or explain
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to describe as having a specified character or quality; make out to be
he represented her as a saint
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to act out the part of on stage; portray
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to perform or produce (a play); stage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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representabilitynoun
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prerepresentverb (used with object)
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nonrepresentableadjective
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representableadjective
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unrepresentableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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representsimple
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representssimple
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have representedperfect
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has representedperfect
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am representingprogressive
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are representingprogressive
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is representingprogressive
-
have been representingperfect progressive
-
has been representingperfect progressive
Past
-
representedsimple
-
had representedperfect
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was representingprogressive
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were representingprogressive
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had been representingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of represent
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English representen, from Middle French representer, from Latin repraesentāre “to bring about immediately, make present,” equivalent to re- re- ( def. ) + praesentāre “to present 2 ( def. ) ”
Explanation
Use the word represent when something stands in for something else — whether it's your congressman representing your interests in Washington or the thimble that represents you as it makes its way around the Monopoly board. We live in a democracy in which we elect a few people to represent the wishes and desires of the rest of us. Their job is literally to "re-present" the voters' demands in Congress. That's why we call them our "representatives." In the world of art, however, to represent something can mean to express its essence by means of something different. For example a ball of string can represent, or symbolize, a cat.
Vocabulary lists containing represent
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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List 6
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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:
Put options give the right to sell a stock by a set price and typically represent a bearish wager.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
It notes that it comes as a record number of teenagers head to university next month, adding that the latest numbers represent a "steep challenge" for new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
The researchers say the technique has the potential to represent a paradigm shift.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
This serves their goals of undercutting both their target’s work and the institutions they represent.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Anyone who has taken geometry in high school has seen them: they are the sets of numbers in parentheses that represent a point in space.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
That represents a discount from the stock’s last close of HK$123.00 in Hong Kong.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Its reopening represents both a celebration of that history and an investment in our future.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Fury claimed on Friday that the fight was unlikely to happen, but Hearn, who represents Joshua, stated the fight will go ahead.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Clecat, a European association that represents freight forwarders, agreed that the "most acute disruption has been on the Rhine".
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Ubiquitous in highlands art, the Andean cross is a stepped shape that some claim is inspired by the Southern Cross constellation and others believe represents the four quarters of the world.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
He thinks investors are currently “underweight” the stock, meaning Nvidia is less represented in portfolios than it is in the broader market.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
"We very much hope that audiences and artists in the Netherlands can continue to be represented in the Eurovision Song Contest," said Green.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
As of June 9, Wolf Pen represented 102 million of the company’s roughly 168 million outstanding Class A voting shares, securities filings show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Nevada’s 2nd District has been represented by just four lawmakers since its creation more than 40 years ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
A basic description of the Scientific Revolution is to say that it represented a successful rebellion by the mathematicians against the authority of the philosophers, and of both against the authority of the theologians.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
"The council's own documents show that asbestos was used quite extensively in that school," said Phillip Gower from Redkite Solicitors, who are representing the family.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The union representing workers at South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor said on Monday it had resumed wage talks with management after staging its first full-day strike in a decade.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The age at which heavier screen use occurs may also be important, with early childhood potentially representing a period when screen habits have longer-term implications for learning and memory.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
He was accompanied by Sullivan & Cromwell’s James McDonald, who had little antitrust experience but had been representing Trump in two New York appeals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
He didn’t want to make a move, or allow anyone representing him to mention his intentions, before he could see her.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
