symbolize

[ sim-buh-lahyz ]

/ ˈsɪm bəˌlaɪz /

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.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
And it seemed to symbolize Annie's life for her, in its cramped and pruned and smoky regularity.
The Matador of the Five Towns and Other Stories|Arnold Bennett
Let us not imitate another's form unless it symbolize a truth to us.
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 1 (of 3)|Theodore Parker
We have grown wiser, and know what such offerings are meant to symbolize—we are to surrender our liberty to the very last grain!
Quintus Claudius, Volume 1 of 2|Ernst Eckstein
A parable is a way of teaching in which natural objects are used to represent or symbolize spiritual realities.
Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary|John Kline
Fitly, indeed, do the rags worn by the monks of true Buddhism symbolize the miserable patchwork of its own self-righteousness.
Buddhism, In its Connexion With Brahmanism and Hinduism, and In Its Contrast with Christianity|Sir Monier Monier-Williams

British Dictionary definitions for symbolize

symbolize

symbolise

/ (ˈsɪmbəˌlaɪz) /

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

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.

symbolize

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

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

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Origin of symbolize

Examples from the Web for symbolize

symbolize

symbolise

verb

symbolize