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general::
noun image/object/event that is a sign of sth ADJ. clear, dramatic, perfect, potent, powerful, supreme, ultimate The Berlin wall was the supreme 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, military, political | divine, religious, sacred | Christian, Hindu, etc. | fertility, phallic, sexual, virility The villagers took fertility symbols into the fields 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 adopt sth as, regard sth as, see sth as, use sth as Eggs are seen as the symbol of new life. letter/sign that has a particular meaning ADJ. identifying All GM products carry an identifying symbol. | abstract, geometric, geometrical | graphic, written | chemical, Chinese, linguistic, mathematical, musical, phonemic, phonetic, punctuation 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. | look out for, see Always look out for the special ABTA symbol at your travel agent's. You can use your tokens wherever you see this symbol. | decipher, interpret, understand SYMBOL + VERB denote sth, indicate sth, mean sth, represent sth What does this little symbol mean? PREP. in ~s a message written in symbols | ~ for O is the chemical symbol for oxygen.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary