typify
Americanverb
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to be typical of; characterize
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to symbolize or represent completely, by or as if by a type
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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typifysimple
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typifiessimple
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have typifiedperfect
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has typifiedperfect
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am typifyingprogressive
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are typifyingprogressive
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is typifyingprogressive
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have been typifyingperfect progressive
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has been typifyingperfect progressive
Past
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typifiedsimple
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had typifiedperfect
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was typifyingprogressive
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were typifyingprogressive
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had been typifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of typify
Explanation
To typify is to represent what is typical of something or someone. You might say that screaming and door slamming typify your spoiled cousin if that kind of behavior is exactly the kind of thing she usually does. Something that's characteristic of a group of people typifies them. You might observe, for example, that studying late on a Friday night typifies your college friends who are math majors. You could also say that sunny days and cool nights typify autumn in New England, since that's the typical weather for that particular place and time. The root word is Greek — typos, which means "dent, impression, mark, figure, or original form."
Vocabulary lists containing typify
"The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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The Namesake
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Articles on Dangers of Technology
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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:
What better show to typify that era of relative calm than what the characters on “Seinfeld” described as a show about nothing?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
The hashtag #PoorMartha was used on social media to typify fans’ glee at her susceptibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
Wales' shirt numbers were falling off to confuse matters and typify the frantic opening exchanges.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2023
Nonetheless, NEV sales that typify big-ticket spending have mirrored a tepid rebound in consumption after China abruptly ended COVID-19 containment measures late last year.
From Reuters ● Jun. 8, 2023
But the struggle back to past contentment and happiness is difficult; and the “Old Yew” of the churchyard seems to typify his present state of feeling.
From A Key to Lord Tennyson's 'In Memoriam' by Gatty, Alfred, Mrs.
Mr. Macfarlane’s Norwegian allusion typifies this feast of a book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
I am just the biggest fan of Unai Emery - he is an amazing coach and he typifies all that is great about the game.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
Lasagna typifies a certain familiarity and reliability, comfortably ensconced in the Italian-American repertoire but also something that feels universal enough, straddling the line between pasta and casserole.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2024
But if McDavid, arguably the best player in the NHL, typifies the skill and grace with which the high-flying Oilers play, then Lizotte represents the blue-collar, lunch-bucket approach that defines the Kings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
Perhaps nothing better typifies the strange and often accidental nature of chemical science in its early days than a discovery made by a German named Hennig Brand in 1675.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Scott McTominay illuminated the world with the spectacular against Denmark last November, a moment that typified the brilliance of the man whose trail has blazed fiercely in Naples.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
They also suggest that the disinflation earlier this year may have been another of the false dawns that have typified recent Fed performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
The hosts were not neglecting their defensive work, typified by a thunderous James Botham tackle.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
Now forgotten, Dillon, Read & Co. typified the Wall Street of roll-top desks and patrician dignity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
“He is celebrated today as one of Russia’s most brilliant writers. But during his life he was understood by no one, least of all himself. One might say he typified the phrase ‘eccentric genius.’
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The work was unveiled in 1920 in a ceremony that lauded Otis for typifying “the ideal which first brought men and women to America.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
But typifying the way Penny’s career has gone since Seattle drafted him 27th overall in 2018, Penny suffered a hamstring injury on the play and sat out the rest of the first half.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2021
The defining moment was a crucial try from replacement hooker Malcolm Marx, typifying the impact of the South African forwards from the bench.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2021
Before expending the effort typifying one's love language, it is worth inquiring: is the concept is actually psychologically meaningful, or just another batch of pop psychology B.S.?
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2021
I have taken Michelangelo’s allegorical statues in the Laurentian Chapel as typifying the characteristics and the tendencies of the period.
From The Spell by Orcutt, William Dana
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.
