typify

[ tip-uh-fahy ]

/ ˈtɪp əˌfaɪ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR typify ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), typ·i·fied, typ·i·fy·ing.

to serve as a typical example of; exemplify.

to serve as a symbol or emblem of; symbolize; prefigure.

to represent by a type or symbol.

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“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

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Origin of typify

1625–35; < Latin typ(us) type + -ify

OTHER WORDS FROM typify

typ·i·fi·ca·tion, nountyp·i·fi·er, noun

Words nearby typify

typhoon, typhus, typhus vaccine, typical, typicon, typify, typing, typing element, typist, typo, typo-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for typify

Others carried totems—pieces of wood carved in the likeness of bird or beast to typify manitou of family or clan.
Vikings of the Pacific|Agnes C. Laut
Life was in its spring, and every opening bud and flower in the green world without seemed to typify the hope in her own heart!
A Houseful of Girls|Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
A wonderful book, in which nature is used to typify spiritual truths.
Picture-Work|Walter L. (Walter Lowrie) Hervey
But unfortunately it has a dark background, and there is no open window—nothing to typify infinity.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 70, No. 431, September 1851|Various

No name can be imagined too liquid, sweet and voluptuous in its sound to typify her loveliness.
Continental Monthly, Vol. I. February, 1862, No. II.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for typify

typify

/ (ˈtɪpɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to be typical of; characterize

to symbolize or represent completely, by or as if by a type

Derived forms of typify

typification, nountypifier, noun

Word Origin for typify

C17: from Latin typus type + -ify

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

typify

verb (used with object), typ·i·fied, typ·i·fy·ing.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of typify

OTHER WORDS FROM typify

Words nearby typify

Words related to typify

Example sentences from the Web for typify

British Dictionary definitions for typify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

Derived forms of typify

Word Origin for typify