symbolize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to serve as or be a symbol of
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to represent by a symbol or symbols
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(intr) to use symbols
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(tr) to treat or regard as symbolic or figurative
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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symbolizesimple
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symbolizessimple
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have symbolizedperfect
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has symbolizedperfect
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am symbolizingprogressive
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are symbolizingprogressive
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is symbolizingprogressive
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have been symbolizingperfect progressive
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has been symbolizingperfect progressive
Past
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symbolizedsimple
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had symbolizedperfect
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was symbolizingprogressive
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were symbolizingprogressive
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had been symbolizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of symbolize
From the New Latin word symbolizāre, dating back to 1580–90. See symbol, -ize
Explanation
Use the verb symbolize when you use an image, shape, color, or other simple visual to stand for something else, like when you wear black to symbolize that you're mourning a loss. To symbolize is to make a symbol out of something. Symbolize traces back to the Greek word symbolon, which combines syn-, meaning "together," and bol, meaning "to throw." The earliest Christians were, so to speak, "thrown together" because of their beliefs, and so the Christian "marks" that represented their belief in one God became the first items to be described as symbols.
Vocabulary lists containing symbolize
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary to Describe Literary Devices
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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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:
Built as part of efforts to modernize Venezuela, the buildings now symbolize the country's dire situation after twin quakes on Wednesday left nearly 1,500 people confirmed dead and tens of thousands missing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The city owes more than its name to the first commander in chief; George Washington encouraged the French developer Pierre Charles L’Enfant to design a capital that would symbolize the nation.
From Slate ● May 18, 2026
Increasingly, speakers are being chosen or challenged not only for what they say, but for what they symbolize about institutions, technology, politics and generational authority.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
I put some scarlet runner beans from the Hollywood Farmers Market over it to symbolize the gathering cultures of Native American tribes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
“Now imagine that world has people like us in it, but no bees. They’d have the experience of sweetness and of light, but how would they symbolize them?”
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
A: Ruth symbolizes what she herself expressed: decency.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
The door of the Legacy Tower symbolizes perseverance, Smith says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
Instead of being concerned with product placement, they had an innate understanding of what their office symbolizes and demands.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2026
Fink argues that the song reflects a time of centralized power within the music industry, but symbolizes a desire to escape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026
“This feather symbolizes respect and responsibility. No one must speak without this feather. When you hold this feather in your hand, speak honestly from your heart.”
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
In his telling, two distinct social archetypes rooted in the era of England’s 17th-century civil war—the Cavalier and the Puritan—were symbolized by the ships of his title, the White Lion and the Mayflower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Eve symbolized beauty and promised consumers the same results through their purchasing power.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
For generations, it has symbolized resilience and rural life, valued for its toughness, ability to graze on marginal land, and nutrient-dense milk that supported small farmers.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2026
Alary said other support-group members said they were emotional hearing about it as it symbolized an important moment and turning a corner.
From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2026
But the members of the committee explained that Bishop’s Court had become multiracial under Tutu’s tenure, and symbolized an open, generous nonracialism.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Tehran’s streets burst with shoppers perusing markets for flowers, painted eggs and confections for their “haft-sin” table, the traditional spread of seven items symbolizing spring, renewal and prosperity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
The tall teal pillars of the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, mark one of the busiest land borders in North America, symbolizing a profitable and once-dependable partnership.
From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2025
The following day, on his way to court, Serhii faced news crews and raised three fingers—a Ukrainian salute symbolizing the Tryzub, the national emblem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025
This mutual cooperation embodies the Japanese concept of "AUN," symbolizing balance and harmony between opposites.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2025
The Extreme Teen Bible had a black cover with hot-blue writing and these laser-type neon bolts everywhere, symbolizing what, I don’t know.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
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.
