denotes

VERB

designate, mean

Synonyms

STRONGEST

stand for

STRONG

announce argue bespeak betoken connote evidence express finger flash imply import indicate insinuate intend make mark peg prove show signify spell symbolize tag typify

WEAK

add up hang sign on put down for put finger on symbol tab

Antonyms

STRONG

conceal deny disprove hide ignore leave alone refuse refute veto withhold

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.

If the name Offa is known at all today, it is because of Offa’s Dyke, an earthwork that roughly denotes the Anglo-Welsh border.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

In French, matière denotes not only physical matter but abstract conceptions such as fields of study and aesthetic phenomena such as the surface of paint.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

It denotes licentiousness and lack of control, the actions of a toddler gorging himself on chocolate until he is sick.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2025

And just as words and their meaning can impose a certain reality, the opposite also can be true: A word’s connotations can evolve alongside the things it denotes.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2025

This, Champollion reasoned, very probably also denotes Ptolemy.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan