# symbol

/ˈsɪmbəɫ/ (US) · /sˈɪmbəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/symbol
Updated: 2026-07-22

## Senses

### 1. a sign or character

noun · CEFR A2 · General-service

a mark, letter, or shape that has a fixed meaning, especially in science, maths, or music.

For teachers: a conventional sign or character used in a specific system to represent an operation, element, or quantity.

- The chemical symbol for water is H2O.
- In formal logic, the symbol used to represent 'therefore' consists of three dots arranged in a triangle.

### 2. an object representing an idea

noun · CEFR B1 · General-service

an object or picture that represents a bigger idea, like a heart for love.

For teachers: a material object or image used to represent something abstract or invisible.

- The white dove is a universal symbol of peace.
- The crown serves as a potent symbol of monarchical authority, even in nations where the ruler holds no actual political power.

### 3. a person as an example

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

a person who is seen as the perfect example of a quality or movement.

For teachers: a person or thing regarded as the embodiment or cardinal exemplar of a particular concept or theme.

- For many, she became a symbol of hope during the difficult war years.
- The architect became a symbol of the modernist movement, representing a radical break from traditional Victorian aesthetics.

### 4. programming identifier

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a name used in computer code to identify a specific part of a program.

For teachers: an internal identifier used by a compiler or debugger to relate compiled code to source-level names.

- The debugger could not find the symbol for the main function.
- Stripping the symbols from the binary file reduced its size but made it significantly harder for the engineers to troubleshoot crashes in production.

### 5. to represent

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

to be a symbol of something.

For teachers: to represent or stand for something by means of a symbol; used as a synonym for 'symbolize'.

- In the old poem, the falling leaves symbol the end of youth.
- The poet chose to symbol the passage of time through the steady, rhythmic dripping of water against the stone floor.

Usage: This verb form is rare in modern English; 'symbolize' is the standard choice for all registers.

## Examples

- The dove is a common symbol of peace.
- In mathematics, the plus sign is the symbol used to show that you are adding numbers together.
- The author uses the recurring image of a broken clock as a symbol for the protagonist's inability to move past his childhood trauma.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.