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:
Some commentaries noted it was less about substance than ceremony and symbolism, but what did it commemorate or symbolize?
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 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
This History Channel documentary follows the boxers’ first encounter in 1936, exploring how the rivalry came to symbolize geopolitical tensions before World War II.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 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
Many memories might be summoned to symbolize this period of our lives, but this is the one that has stayed with me: of Dad’s voice rising up from the floor while Tyler drinks his tacos.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a surprise trip across the border to neighboring China, traveling across a new bridge that links the two countries and symbolizes their warming ties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
In part, however, it is being led by the film that most aptly symbolizes Zaslav’s failures.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
The Velvet Underground’s John Cale represents music, Marc Jacobs stands for fashion and beloved director Martin Scorsese symbolizes film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
A: Ruth symbolizes what she herself expressed: decency.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
For a few seconds I look at the scales that represent Candor, the eye that stands for Erudite, and the tree that symbolizes Amity.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
It was a loving gesture that symbolized an indelible team and a city that loved the game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
But as state "bodegas" disappear, the "libreta" ration book that symbolized equal access to affordable food for all is being quietly shelved.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Eve symbolized beauty and promised consumers the same results through their purchasing power.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
A theatergoer was called upon to play the vet who euthanized the narrator’s childhood pet, a dog named Indiana Bones that was symbolized by a coat someone volunteered from the audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
To the north a falcon wheeled slowly over the shining walls of Pharaoh’s palace, as if to proclaim the presence within of the royal god-king he symbolized.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
SINGAPORE—A pioneering Chinese maker of humanoid robots soared 460% in its trading debut in Shanghai to achieve a market value of $51 billion, symbolizing the frenzy around an industry Beijing hopes to dominate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Hanukkah celebrates the miracle when a small amount of oil burned for eight days in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem, symbolizing how light, faith, and resilience will overcome darkness, violence and oppression.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 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
This mutual cooperation embodies the Japanese concept of "AUN," symbolizing balance and harmony between opposites.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
