symbolizesym‧bol‧ize (also symbolise British English) /ˈsɪmbəlaɪz/ ●○○ AWL verb [transitive] 
Verb Table Examples
Crime often symbolizes a wider social problem. Growing discontent has been symbolized by the protests.
Verb TableVERB TABLE
symbolize
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | symbolize |
| he, she, it | symbolizes | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | symbolized |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have symbolized |
| he, she, it | has symbolized | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had symbolized |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will symbolize |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have symbolized |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am symbolizing |
| he, she, it | is symbolizing | |
| you, we, they | are symbolizing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was symbolizing |
| you, we, they | were symbolizing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been symbolizing |
| he, she, it | has been symbolizing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been symbolizing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be symbolizing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been symbolizing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Cowardice is symbolized in the painting by the white feathers on the soldier's coat.
- In Europe, the colour white symbolizes purity but in Asia it is often the symbol of deep mourning.
- The lion symbolizes strength, the lamb symbolizes gentleness.
- To people in the community, Hernandez's death symbolizes years of mistreatment by police.
- Wedding rings symbolize a couple's commitment to each other.
- And when the symbol ceases to look or sound like what it symbolizes, it becomes a sign.
- It might even symbolize the return of the soul to its spirit after death.
- Outfitted in his regal trappings, he would symbolize imperial authority.
- The latter is further symbolized in the awakening lion and the eagle that holds the emblem of the city in its feet.
- The musical instruments symbolize an underlying harmony behind nature's powers, to which the successful alchemist must himself be attuned.
- The rouged cheeks, ever so carefully shaded peach, seemed to symbolize death.
- They symbolized all the money that was around, the flamboyance expected of the richest nation on earth.
- Yet Hebron today symbolizes our exile from Eden.
Longman Language Activatorto have a particular meaning► mean
Collocations to have a particular meaning - use this about words, signs, or statements: · What does "abandon" mean?· "Poultry" means chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese.· It says "not suitable for children", which means anyone under 16.mean (that): · The flashing light means we're running out of gas.· "Downsizing" simply means that firms are tending to buy smaller computers to do jobs which used to require big ones.what is meant by something: · What is meant by the term "random access"?
► stand for if a letter or group of letters stands for a word, name, or number, it is a short way of saying or writing it: · NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.· What does the F in John F. Kennedy stand for?
► represent if a shape, letter, object etc represents something, it is used as a sign for that thing in a map, plan, calculation etc: · The red lines on the map represent railways.· Single letters or combinations of letters represent different phonetic sounds.
► symbolize also symbolise British if something such as an object or animal symbolizes an idea or quality, it is used as a sign to mean that idea or quality, especially in a story, a ceremony, or a particular society: · The lion symbolizes strength, the lamb symbolizes gentleness.· In Europe, the colour white symbolizes purity but in Asia it is often the symbol of deep mourning.· Cowardice is symbolized in the painting by the white feathers on the soldier's coat.
► denote if a word or number denotes something, it means it in a very exact sense - used especially in technical contexts: · The dotted line on the graph denotes profits.· The English word "family" used to denote all the people in the house, including servants.· The quantity denoted by the letter E varies from experiment to experiment.
► connote if a word connotes something, it makes you think of feelings and ideas that are not its actual meaning: · The word "jolly" often connotes that someone is fat.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB► come
Word family· The station, through its deejays, came to symbolize and help stimulate the segregated economy of Memphis.· They came to symbolize the excesses of the period: the hype and inflated prices new artwork was able to command.· It has come to symbolize the difficulties in launching advanced communications services.
WORD FAMILYnounsymbolsymbolismadjectivesymbolicverbsymbolizeadverbsymbolically
if something symbolizes a quality, feeling etc, it represents it: Crime often symbolizes a wider social problem. Growing discontent has been symbolized by the protests.