symbolize
Americanverb (used with object)
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symbolizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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symbolized,
past participle, past
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symbolizing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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symbolizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
symbolized,
past participle, past
-
symbolizing
present participle
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:
The 4-inch vinyl “Pop!” figurines, with their oversize heads and black dot eyes, symbolize being ingrained in pop culture — objects fans buy, celebrate and display.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
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
Presidents not only symbolize and embody the values of the nation — they reveal them.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 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
Did it not symbolize the eternal, unvarying triumph of Good over Evil?
From "1984" by George Orwell
In part, however, it is being led by the film that most aptly symbolizes Zaslav’s failures.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
A: Ruth symbolizes what she herself expressed: decency.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
Yet, somehow, this problematic statistic and all that it symbolizes doesn’t even register.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 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
At Berkeley, that institution which symbolizes middle-class opportunity, students complained about the impersonal life on the campus—they were being reduced to IBM numbers.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
They have nothing except each other, their love symbolized by a red flower that Orpheus offers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The 1973 Arab oil embargo contributed to years of inflation, and President Gerald Ford’s “Whip Inflation Now” initiative symbolized the failed response to it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 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
The motif had been a popular one in earlier Dutch genre scenes, where bubbles symbolized life’s brevity and, hence, the vanity of all earthly things.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
The cover is illustrated by a mango tree, symbolizing her parents’ home country of El Salvador.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
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 skeleton is covered with a white cloth symbolizing the souls' clothing and is changed each year.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
Cressen's fingers went to the chain about his neck, each link forged from a different metal, each symbolizing his mastery of another branch of learning; the maester's collar, mark of his order.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
