symbolsym‧bol /ˈsɪmbəl/ ●●● W3 AWL noun [countable] 
The symbol on the packet is a guarantee that the food has been produced organically.symbol of The dove is a symbol of peace.2a letter, number, or sign that represents a sound, an amount, a chemical substance etcsymbol for Fe is the chemical symbol for iron.3someone or something that represents a particular quality or ideasymbol of Space exploration provides a symbol of national pride. → sex symbol
WORD ORIGINsymbol
Origin:
1400-1500 Latin symbolum, from Greek symbolon ‘proof of who someone is, checked by comparing its other half’, from symballein ‘to throw together, compare’, from syn- ( ➔ SYN-) + ballein ‘to throw’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- "H" is the scientific symbol for hydrogen.
- For several years Prince used a symbol instead of his name.
- Rollins has emerged as a symbol of modern jazz at its finest.
- The ancient Egyptians had no symbol for "zero."
- The cross is the most important symbol in Christianity.
- The dove is a symbol of peace.
- The walls were covered with magical symbols.
- Back at field headquarters, Hartzog said, field commanders will view symbols that identify different forces on computer screens.
- But none could deny that a fine house was a symbol of status and wealth.
- Cathy Freeman is the symbol for the millennium Games.
- He must start with the explanations and commentaries which his informants themselves offer about their symbols.
- Miss Piggy, Kermit and the rest now come across as symbols of a bygone era.
- The left half of the symbol identifies the manufacturer; the right half identifies the product.
- The trouble was that the old meeting-house had become a symbol of religious and cultural isolation.
Longman Language Activatora picture or shape that has a particular meaning
a picture or shape that has a particular meaning, and that is well known and often used: · You've forgotten to put the dollar sign before the total amount.· Where's the percentage sign on this keyboard?
a picture, shape, or design that has a particular meaning or represents an idea: · The walls were covered with magical symbols.· For several years Prince used a symbol instead of his name.symbol of: · The dove is a symbol of peace.symbol for: · The ancient Egyptians had no symbol for "zero."
a sign that has been designed to represent an organization or product: · The baseball team has a new logo.· His costume had the Superman logo across the chest.· You can buy bags with the company logo on them in the gift shop.
a picture of an object, flower, animal etc that is used to represent a country or organization: · Scotland's emblem is the thistle.· The jacket had a tiny Olympic emblem on the pocket.emblem of: · The hammer and sickle is the emblem of the Communist Party.
shapes, pictures, decorations etc that represent a powerful group, especially a military organization: · Someone had spray-painted gang insignia on his car.· They collect clothing with FBI insignia on it so they can pretend to be federal agents.
WORD SETSabstract, adjectiveafter, prepositionArt Deco, nounart gallery, nounartist, nounArt Nouveau, nounbackground, nouncalligraphy, nouncaricature, nouncaricature, verbcaricaturist, nouncartoon, nouncarving, nounceramics, nounchalk, nouncharcoal, nounchase, verbclip art, nouncomposition, nounconceptual art, nouncontrast, nouncrayon, nouncrayon, verbcutout, noundecal, noundimension, noundoodle, verbdraughtsman, noundrawing, nounengrave, verbengraving, nounexhibit, nounfigurative, adjectivefigure, nounfreehand, adjectivegallery, noungilt, noungilt, adjectivegraphic, adjectivegraphic design, noungraphics, nouniconography, nounillustrate, verbillustration, nounink, nounink, verbinset, verbintaglio, nounlacquer, nounlacquer, verblaser, nounlife-size, adjectivelight show, nounlinocut, nounmanikin, nounmezzotint, nounmobile, nounmodel, nounmodel, verbmodernism, nounmontage, nounmosaic, nounmount, verbmural, nounmuseum, nounnaturalism, nounnaturalistic, adjectiveneedlepoint, nounnude, nounobjet d'art, nounochre, nounold master, nounop art, nounormolu, nounornamentation, nounoutline, verbpanorama, nounpantograph, nounpastel, nounpastel, adjectiveperspective, nounpicture, nounpicture, verbplasticity, nounpop art, nounportfolio, nounpose, verbpose, nounprimary colour, nounprint, verbprint, nounrelief, nounrepresentational, adjectiverestrained, adjectiveretro, nounretrospective, nounrubbing, nounself-portrait, nounshade, nounshade, verbsilk screen, adjectivesilversmith, nounsitter, nounsketch, nounsketch, verbsketchpad, nounson et lumière, nounstudy, nounstylized, adjectivesuperimpose, verbsymbol, nountattoo, nountattoo, verbtessellated, adjectivetransfer, nounturpentine, nounvanishing point, nounvibrant, adjectiveview, nounvisual aid, nounvisual arts, nounwoodcarving, nounwoodcut, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a potent symbol of oppressionCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
(=something that makes people have hope)· Mandela was a symbol of hope for his whole country.
a potent symbol of oppression· Counting attaches a different verbal number symbol to a set of units as one unit is added.· The same data are plotted in b but the species are categorised into three different life styles denoted by different symbols.· The second reiterates this in a slightly different language using symbols instead of words.· The key factor, phrase or words bold Use a different colour or symbol to identify each part of your question.· To mark this stressed syllable in the low head we will use a different symbol, as in low.· Amid the dust and noise of hard-hatted workmen, a very different symbol is arising on Pennsylvania Avenue.
· The issue became a national symbol of the struggle between development and environment.· The depictions on paper money and coins reinforce national icons and symbols.· Wouldn't losing the pound mean losing an important national symbol?· More than the economic backwardness and resentment at being made into the national symbol of anti-communist resistance is a sense of loss.
· This is one reason why the crackling sound of the geiger counter has become such a potent symbol of the dangers.· The jumbo jet is after all one of the most potent symbols of this century.· And surfing is the most potent symbol - even stimulus - of that shift.· For in the Soviet Union nuclear energy is a potent symbol of high technology and modernity.· For the individual, employment may represent the most potent symbol of adult status and integration into the community.· The crucial point is that the very potent symbol of Einstein was not a representation of the theory of relativity.· The spider and its web were potent symbols of Necromundan life.
· But I did support Mrs Robinson because although she is only a symbol she is a powerful symbol.· Horses and birds are powerful symbols in our vision of freedom.· The moon was a powerful symbol for him.· Thank you, young man, for reminding me how powerful a symbol those open expanses of tile can be.· Citrine was a powerful symbol of the elevation of workers to a new role in the industry.· A woman priest presiding at the Eucharist is a powerful symbol of this good news.· In the Bible, the heart is a powerful symbol for our inner selves.· But why is law such an apparently powerful symbol for the peace movement?
· Shields and helmets, depicted in certain contexts, were also religious symbols.· In Michigan, as in New York, all religious symbols were removed from the classrooms used for such remedial instruction.· Perhaps the religious symbol most strongly associated with the Minoan culture is the double-axe.· And no one is allowed to wear anything that might be interpreted as a religious or political symbol.· Yet little systematic work has been done on such alternative formats, nor on the religious symbols employed by them.· This is the way certain entities come to have meaning as religious symbols.· They often showed scenes from Minoan mythology or religious symbols, which gave the sealing the extra dimension of defence by superstition.· Hanging over her were stars and crosses and circles and more complex designs she recognized as religious symbols.
NOUN· They are the status symbol of the decade.· Milky white skin was an upper-class status symbol.· A sheepskin coat was the skinhead status symbol.· This is the big mama of grass revenge, a power cutter and a status symbol.· A child's birthday seems to have lost its magic and has just become another consumer oriented status symbol.· New technologies can turn from status symbol to ball and chain overnight.· The cell phone has turned into more than a modern day convenience, it is a status symbol.· The precise choice of material was important, a status symbol almost.
VERB· This is one reason why the crackling sound of the geiger counter has become such a potent symbol of the dangers.· The zoot suit became his primary symbol.· Cars, provided by the company, have become the physical symbols of the employees' progress through it.· Projects have become symbols of the ghetto, isolated from society and jobs, overrun by gangs and drugs.· Individual scores became a status symbol.· Christmas 1994 became a symbol for the tensions.· Charles Keating, once a successful Phoenix property developer, has become the bankrupt symbol of the multi-billion dollar savings-and-loan debacle.· Stones become important symbols for Karlin at key points throughout the book.
· Patricia Schroeder of Colorado remains a cautionary symbol of the unfair double standard in the let-your-emotions-all-hang-out department.
· For the individual, employment may represent the most potent symbol of adult status and integration into the community.· For the Sabaeans these temples represented symbols and mysteries that they never divulged.· A switch turned on could represent the symbol 1; 0 would be a switch that was turned off.· Here a series of characters represented by letters or symbols are presented for comparison, usually arranged in tabular form.· Extrinsic signals representing the inner symbols are what make it possible for groups of humans to share a meaningful world.
· For brevity it is worth using these little symbols which are easy to learn.· Possessed himself by a heroic passion, he uses matter as symbols of it.· Terms are constants or are constructed using function symbols.· Pleck notes that socialization through language requires a biological pre-adaptedness for using symbol systems.· The second reiterates this in a slightly different language using symbols instead of words.· But Dalton wrote no chemical equations, though he did use symbols to indicate composition and perhaps even structure.· The fire is used as a symbol of the country's political turmoil.· The required discipline is provided by the attempt to complete a chart such as a flow process chart using the A.S.M.E. symbols.
WORD FAMILYnounsymbolsymbolismadjectivesymbolicverbsymbolizeadverbsymbolically
1a picture or shape that has a particular meaning or represents a particular organization or idea: The symbol on the packet is a guarantee that the food has been produced organically.symbol of The dove is a symbol of peace.2a letter, number, or sign that represents a sound, an amount, a chemical substance etcsymbol for Fe is the chemical symbol for iron.3someone or something that represents a particular quality or ideasymbol of Space exploration provides a symbol of national pride. → sex symbol