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indicate

verb

Simple meaning

To show something or point it out clearly

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

induhkayt

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɪndəkeɪt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. Be a signal for or a symptom of

    “These symptoms indicate a serious illness.”

  2. transitivesometimes with 'of'

    To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.

  3. transitive

    To signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left.

  4. transitivemedicine

    To show or manifest by symptoms.

  5. transitive

    To investigate the condition or power of, as of steam engine, by means of an indicator.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (transitive, sometimes with 'of') To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.

Used this way, indicate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • betoken , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use indicate

  • “These symptoms indicate a serious illness.”verb
  • “Indicated his wishes in a letter.”verb
  • “Tetracycline is indicated in such cases.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

data indicateclearly indicatefindings indicate

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • indicatornounPerson or profession

    A number or ratio (a value on a scale of measurement) derived from a series of observed facts.

  • indicativenounDerived noun · specialist

    A mood (grammatically unmarked) that represents the act or state as an objective fact.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • indicationnounRelated term

    Something that serves to indicate or suggest.

  • indicator lampnounRelated term

    Indicator consisting of a light to indicate whether power is on or a motor is in operation.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: be a signal for or a symptom of

pointbespeakbetokenRareshowsuggest

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.