verb
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to be a sign, symbol, or symptom of; indicate or designate
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(of words, phrases, expressions, etc) to have as a literal or obvious meaning
Other Word Forms
- denotable adjective
- denotement noun
- undenotable adjective
Etymology
Origin of denote
First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French dénoter, Latin dēnotāre “to mark out,” equivalent to dē- de- + notāre “to mark”; note
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As part of her quest to revive N|uu, she and her granddaughter, Claudia Snyman, established a school for the language, which uses special characters in script to denote the verbal clicks.
From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025
Denmark's largest grocery store operator, Salling Group, recently introduced a symbol, a black star, on pricing labels to denote European brands.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2025
There aren’t even historical markers to denote the significance of those city lots.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2025
Later, on third-and-one, Garbers surged and spun his way for six yards before emphatically thrusting his arm forward to denote the first down.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2024
And felt himself nourished by the plasma of letters and syllables that had come to denote a commitment to gallantry among the men with whom he had chosen to spend his life.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.