symbolize

[sim-buh-lahyz]

See more synonyms for symbolize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), sym·bol·ized, sym·bol·iz·ing.

to be a symbol of; stand for or represent in the manner of a symbol.
to represent by a symbol or symbols.
to regard or treat as symbolic.

verb (used without object), sym·bol·ized, sym·bol·iz·ing.

to use symbols.

Also especially British, sym·bol·ise.

Origin of symbolize

From the New Latin word symbolizāre, dating back to 1580–90. See symbol, -ize

Related formsre·sym·bol·ize, verb, re·sym·bol·ized, re·sym·bol·iz·ing.un·sym·bol·ized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for symbolize

exemplify, signify, indicate, suggest, mirror, typify, personify, epitomize, embody, mean, illustrate, connote, express, denote, betoken, show, symbol, emblematize

Examples from the Web for symbolize

Contemporary Examples of symbolize

But for some teens ISIS seems to symbolize power and purpose, a great drama promising deliverance from the humdrum.
How ISIS’s Colorado Girls Were Caught
Michael Daly
October 22, 2014
She seems, if anything, to symbolize an even more incremental progressivism than President Obama.
Inside the World of Hillary Superfans
David Freedlander
April 23, 2014
The practice, which emerged during the eighth century, was meant to symbolize wealth and class.
Corsets, Muslin Disease, and More of the Deadly Fashion Trends
The Fashion Beast Team
April 1, 2014
Colorful inflated onion domes appeared to symbolize the birth of urbanization.
Sorry Putin, the Sochi Opening Ceremony Was Totally Gay
Tim Teeman
February 7, 2014
They chanted slogans and flashed four fingers, which has come to symbolize a pro-Morsi camp violently quashed by the authorities.
From President to Prisoner: Mohamed Morsi’s Trial Starts in Egypt
Vivian Salama
November 4, 2013

Historical Examples of symbolize

The combinations change as the soul that they symbolize changes.
Tin-Types Taken in the Streets of New York
Lemuel Ely Quigg
What do Pindus and Ossa symbolize, and what exactly does their melting mean?
Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois
George Chapman
It's to be an Anglo-American pageant, to symbolize the school.
The Jolliest School of All
Angela Brazil
These objects also symbolize metaphysical and cosmological truths.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy
Isaac Husik
If that hadn't happened, something else would have, to symbolize you.
Free Air
Sinclair Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for symbolize

symbolize

symbolise

verb

(tr) to serve as or be a symbol of
(tr usually foll by by) to represent by a symbol or symbols
(intr) to use symbols
(tr) to treat or regard as symbolic or figurative

Derived Formssymbolization or symbolisation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for symbolize

c.1600, "to represent by a symbol," also "to be a symbol of," from French symboliser, from Modern Latin symbolizare, from symbolum (see symbol). Related: Symbolized; symbolizes; symbolizing.