- symbol
- noun1 image/object/event that is a sign of sthADJECTIVE▪ dramatic, important, perfect, potent, powerful, ultimate▪
The Berlin wall was the ultimate symbol of the Cold War.
▪ universal▪The dove is a universal symbol of peace.
▪ outward, physical, visual▪The company car is an outward symbol of the employee's status.
▪ ancient, traditional▪ national▪ cultural, political▪ religious, sacred▪ Christian, Hindu, etc.▪ fertility, phallic, sexual▪The people use fertility symbols to ensure a good harvest.
▪ sex (= a person famous for being attractive)▪He is not most people's idea of a sex symbol.
▪ status▪A stressful job can actually be a status symbol.
VERB + SYMBOL▪ become▪ create▪ represent▪Guevara has come to represent a powerful symbol of defiance.
▪ adopt sth as, consider sth, interpret sth as, regard sth as, see sth as, use sth as▪Eggs are seen as the symbol of new life.
PREPOSITION▪ symbol of▪a symbol of royal power
2 letter/sign that has a particular meaningADJECTIVE▪ abstract, geometric▪ graphic, written▪ chemical, Chinese, linguistic, mathematical, musical, phonetic▪A list of phonetic symbols is given in the front of the dictionary.
VERB + SYMBOL▪ bear, be marked with, have▪The coin bears a Jewish symbol.
▪The bottle had a skull and crossbones symbol on it.
▪ display, show, use▪Hotels that show this symbol offer activities for children.
▪ decipher, interpret, understandSYMBOL + VERB▪ denote sth, indicate sth, mean sth, represent sth▪What does this little symbol mean?
PREPOSITION▪ in symbols▪a message written in symbols
▪ symbol for▪O is the chemical symbol for oxygen.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.