indicate
/ˈɪndɪkeɪt
/verb [with object]
1Point out; show: dotted lines indicate the text’s margins...
- Census figures released Friday indicate Indiana County's population has stayed virtually static at 89,605 residents.
- Figures indicate the EU expects Ireland to resume its position as the Union's fastest-growing economy.
- Figures released indicate a 2% increase in unemployment in the south east.
Synonyms
designate, specify, stipulate;
show
1.1Be a sign of; strongly suggest: sales indicate a growing market for such art [with clause]: his tone indicated that he didn’t hold out much hope...
- Nevertheless, he acknowledged the ‘market rebound’ as indicating a ‘growing’ consumer confidence here.
- I read the piece twice and tried to see the any sign that indicates such a victory for the insurgents but I failed in both trials.
- One source close to the meeting said the deal hasn't been signed yet and indicated a few more hurdles had to be overcome before there would be any white smoke.
Synonyms
demonstrate, show, point to, be a sign of, be evidence of, evidence, testify to, bear witness to, be a symptom of, be symptomatic of, denote, connote, mark, signal, signify, suggest, imply;
manifest, reveal, betray, evince, display, reflect, represent
literary bespeak, betoken
1.2Mention indirectly or briefly: the president indicated his willingness to use force against the rebels...
- The background, which I certainly was not aware of, has been indicated to me briefly.
- She briefly indicates the conflicting written evidence that an historian investigating this incident must consider.
- In the first two articles in this series I have briefly indicated some of the main currents of Nietzsche's thought.
Synonyms
state, declare, make (it) known, announce, communicate, mention, say, reveal, divulge, disclose, register, record, put it on record;
admit
informal come out with
1.3Direct attention to (someone or something) by means of a gesture: he indicated Cindy with a brief nod of the head...
- A good director would have cut some of the annoyingly repetitive and obvious gestures used to indicate character.
- You make some gestures to indicate you've lost your handle for a moment; you turn away and get your grip.
- They will signal a passerby in with gestures indicating the offer of a cup of tea or something to eat.
Synonyms
point to, point out, gesture towards
1.4(Of a gauge or meter) register a reading of (a quantity, dimension, etc.): an external tube is used to indicate fluid level...
- Again the camera meter will indicate a shutter speed and an aperture to give you an 18% grey object.
- Estimates from tide gauges indicate that sea level has changed at the rate of 1.8 to 2.4 mm/yr over the last century.
- The junction box has two meters indicating the voltage and load capacity readings.
2Suggest as a desirable or necessary course of action: treatment for shock may be indicated...
- An appropriate physical examination and necessary medically indicated investigation are clearly essential.
- Insulin therapy also is indicated in patients with contraindications to antidiabetic medications.
- The other part of the schedule lists immunizations indicated and contraindicated by medical conditions.
Synonyms
advisable, desirable, recommended, suggested, desired, preferable, best, sensible, wise, commonsensical, prudent;
appropriate, suitable;
helpful, useful, effective, advantageous, beneficial, valuable, profitable, gainful, in someone's (best) interests;
necessary, needed, required, called for, essential
3 [no object] British (Of a driver or motor vehicle) signal an intention to change lanes or turn using an indicator: Cal indicated and moved across the road one car had indicated left but pulled out in front of him...
- So don't get mad when a driver does not indicate to go to the left lane; remember that he or she just might not be expert enough to disregard the Highway Code.
- Moments before the crash, a retired PC watched a blue car indicate then pull out ahead and overtake a horse box.
- If that driver was indicating properly, which I see no reason to assume he wasn't, then the motorcyclist should never have attempted to overtake.
Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin indicat- 'pointed out', from the verb indicare, from in- 'towards' + dicare 'make known'.
index from Late Middle English:
In Latin index meant ‘forefinger, informer, sign’, Its second part is related to dicare ‘to make known’, also the source of indicate (early 17th century) and related words. The earliest uses in English refer to the finger that we would now usually call the index finger. Because this finger is used for pointing, index came to mean ‘a pointer’, either a physical one or some piece of knowledge that points to a fact or conclusion. And because a list of topics in a book points to their location in the text, publishers and scholars gave such a list the name index in the late 16th century.