How to Use symbolize in a Sentence

symbolize

verb
  • She came to symbolize the women's movement in America.
  • He was hired to lead, not to symbolize.
    — Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The hand on the back symbolizes that bond.
    — Gary MacNamara, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2026
  • This will symbolize the start of a good day and even a good week.
    — CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The cake symbolized the lungs, which have now been in his body for a year.
    — Dennis Valera, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Yuna's first steps on grass symbolized the start of her new life.
    — Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
  • And what better bloom to symbolize hope for brighter days ahead?
    — Mackenzie Nichols, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Mar. 2021
  • Jaylon Smith has come to symbolize much of what is wrong with this team.
    — David Moore, Dallas News, 25 Oct. 2020
  • Many of them donned red clothing to symbolize one of the school colors.
    — Drew Schott, The Arizona Republic, 7 May 2022
  • The flag was meant to symbolize the fact that Bell had finished his race.
    — Amaris Encinas, The Arizona Republic, 2 Nov. 2021
  • And across from that, a peach tree, heavy with small roundish puffs that in the fresco symbolize old age.
    — Mark Schapiro, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Schroeder now wears a sleek black ring to symbolize his love for Cole.
    — Amogh Dimri, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
  • The teams who symbolized the winners and losers of the trade deadline.
    — Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 2 Aug. 2023
  • How did that word come to symbolize this collection of songs?
    — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2021
  • In this work, the white faceless figures symbolize those who lost their lives.
    — Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Then and now, a president’s right hand symbolizes his warmth, or lack of it.
    — Harold Holzer, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Over the last year, though, the fireworks have come to symbolize something else.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2021
  • The clock can symbolize many things like the time for his return being up, or its time to go off.
    — James Brizuela, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The etrog, which is meant to symbolize the heart, is a citron fruit that looks like a large lemon.
    — Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2020
  • The arrival of this rookie class symbolized more than just a changing of the guard.
    — Shelby Stewart, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
  • The lanterns symbolize letting go of the past or bringing hopes of good luck to the future.
    — Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 9 July 2020
  • The oil used to fry the latkes symbolizes that very miracle of Hanukkah.
    — Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 3 Dec. 2024
  • Hog jowl is rich and fatty, symbolizing wealth and abundance for the year to come.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
  • So the new year could also symbolize resilience and strength, even in times of struggle.
    — NBC News, 1 Feb. 2022
  • This ring symbolizes that thread, but now that thread is no longer invisible.
    — Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The blue paint is meant to complement the marble's bluish tint — and to symbolize the sky.
    — Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 23 Dec. 2025
  • This striped sweater seemed to symbolize all of those joyful teenage years of me shopping at Gap.
    — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2022
  • The idea of men in pearls has come to symbolize a period of artistic culture.
    — Joseph Deacetis, Forbes, 8 Nov. 2021
  • The sun rising over Lake Michigan is meant to symbolize a new day.
    — Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2024
  • Robbed of their very identities, such men came to symbolize the worst of a new, mechanized form of war.
    — Lindsey Fitzharris, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 July 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'symbolize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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