Definition of 'symbol'

symbol

(sɪmbəl )

Word forms: plural symbols

1. countable noun

Something that is a symbol of a society or an aspect of life seems to represent it because it is very typical of it.

To them, the monarchy is the special symbol of nationhood.

She was put under house arrest but remained a powerful symbol in the election.

Synonyms: metaphor, image, allegory, sign More Synonyms of symbol

2. countable noun

A symbol of something such as an idea is a shape or design that is used to represent it.

Later in this same passage Yeats resumes his argument for the Rose as an Irish symbol.

I frequently use sunflowers as symbols of strength.

Synonyms: representation, sign, figure, mark More Synonyms of symbol

3. countable noun

A symbol for an item in a calculation or scientific formula is a number, letter, or shape that represents that item.

What's the chemical symbol for mercury?

Synonyms: character, sign, mark, letter More Synonyms of symbol

4. See also sex symbol, status symbol

Video: pronunciation of
symbol

symbol in British English

(ˈsɪmbəl )

noun

something that represents or stands for something else, usually by convention or association, esp a material object used to represent something abstract

an object, person, idea, etc, used in a literary work, film, etc, to stand for or suggest something else with which it is associated either explicitly or in some more subtle way

a letter, figure, or sign used in mathematics, science, music, etc, to represent a quantity, phenomenon, operation, function, etc

4. psychoanalysis

the end product, in the form of an object or act, of a conflict in the unconscious between repression processes and the actions and thoughts being repressed

the symbols of dreams

5. psychology

any mental process that represents some feature of external reality

verbWord forms: -bols, -bolling, -bolledWord forms: US -bols, -boling or -boled

6. (transitive) another word for symbolize

Word origin

C15: from Church Latin symbolum, from Greek sumbolon sign, from sumballein to throw together, from syn- + ballein to throw

symbol in American English

(ˈsɪmbəl )

noun

something that stands for, represents, or suggests another thing; esp., an object used to represent something abstract; emblem

the dove is a symbol of peace

a written or printed mark, letter, abbreviation, etc. standing for an object, quality, process, quantity, etc., as in music, mathematics, or chemistry

3. Psychoanalysis

an act or object representing an unconscious desire that has been repressed

verb transitiveWord forms: ˈsymboled or ˈsymbolled, ˈsymboling or ˈsymbolling

symbolize

Word origin

< Fr & L: Fr symbole < L symbolus, symbolum < Gr symbolon, token, pledge, sign by which one infers a thing < symballein, to throw together, compare < syn-, together + ballein, to throw: see ball2

symbol in American English

(ˈsɪmbəl) (verb -boled, -boling or esp Brit -bolled, -bolling)

noun

something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign

a letter, figure, or other character or mark or a combination of letters or the like used to designate something

the algebraic symbol x

the chemical symbol Au

a word, phrase, image, or the like having a complex of associated meanings and perceived as having inherent value separable from that which is symbolized, as being part of that which is symbolized, and as performing its normal function of standing for or representing that which is symbolized: usually conceived as deriving its meaning chiefly from the structure in which it appears, and generally distinguished from a sign

transitive verb

to symbolize

Word origin

[1400–50; late ME ‹ L symbolum ‹ Gk sýmbolon sign, equiv. to sym- sym- + -bolon, neut. for bole᷄ (fem.) a throw]

Examples of 'symbol' in a sentence
symbol

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

The components are represented by standardized symbols and the connections by straight lines as shown below. Apparently the house is a symbol for the self.The symbol for that letter is two points down and three points up.The workhouse was a symbol of that idea. Other symbols are lower case letters.Can the world be reduced to strings of letters, symbols and numbers?Which do we depend more on, signs or symbols?But maybe her choice of symbol is a sign of devotion to Isaac.I have no idea what the symbols are supposed to trigger in my memory.He is an idea, a symbol, a battle cry.