1
: an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine : creed
2
: something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance
especially
: a visible sign of something invisible
the lion is a symbol of courage
3
: an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities
4
: an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed
phallic symbols
5
: an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response
Synonyms
Examples of symbol in a Sentence
Noun
the traditional physician's symbol of a staff entwined with a snake
the symbol ¶ indicates where a new paragraph should begin
Recent Examples on the Web
Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024
With a ton of different options to choose from, this charm bracelet can be customized with engraved charms tailored to initials, dates, symbols, and more.
—Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2024
Fortune, 13 June 2022
Press and hold the app icon, tap App Info (the i symbol), and tap Permissions.
—Julian Chokkattu, Wired, 8 Sep. 2020
See all Example Sentences for symbol 
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Noun
In context, Franklin was critiquing a rather dumpy drawing of an eagle lacking a regal beak by the Society of the Cincinnati, which had adopted the nation’s bird as its symbol.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024
With a ton of different options to choose from, this charm bracelet can be customized with engraved charms tailored to initials, dates, symbols, and more.
—Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2024
Verb
The laser eyes symbol that Saylor incorporated into his profile picture started in online Bitcoin communities but has spread to the mainstream.
—Fortune, 13 June 2022
Press and hold the app icon, tap App Info (the i symbol), and tap Permissions.
—Julian Chokkattu, Wired, 8 Sep. 2020
See all Example Sentences for symbol
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Dictionary Entries Near symbol
Cite this Entry
“Symbol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbol. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
symbol
noun
sym·bol
ˈsim-bəl 
: something that stands for or suggests something else: as
a
: an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities
b
: an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed
phallic symbols
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