symbolize
Americanverb
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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
- resymbolize verb
- symbolization noun
- unsymbolized adjective
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.
Wolfsthal is among experts involved in the "Doomsday Clock" meant to symbolize how near humanity is to destruction.
From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026
Together, they symbolize a fast-rising military power expanding its reach in all directions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
"Lines on maps started to symbolize the limits of political sovereignties rather than the boundless divine promises. This transformed the way that the Bible's descriptions of geographical space were understood."
From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025
It’s quite fitting considering that apples symbolize Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruitful abundance.
From Salon • Oct. 21, 2025
I hate that idiot poem about the snowy woods, and I hate it when people say the woods symbolize death or beauty or sex or any old thing you want.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
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.
