Standard Lemma guide

indicate

verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH1 N D AH0 K EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: sometimes, transitive

Examples

  • The guard blew his whistle to indicate imminent departure.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: betoken, index, speak of, bespeak

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To show or manifest by symptoms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: medicine, sciences

Examples

  • Great prostration of strength indicates the use of stimulants.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To point to as the proper remedies.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

give evidence of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The evidence argues for your claim
  • The results indicate the need for more work

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: argue

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: present, represent, lay out

7

verb

Meaning 7

be a signal for or a symptom of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • These symptoms indicate a serious illness
  • Her behavior points to a severe neurosis
  • The economic indicators signal that the euro is undervalued

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bespeak, betoken, point, signal

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tell

Narrower terms: bode, portend, auspicate, prognosticate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict, mark

8

verb

Meaning 8

indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I showed the customer the glove section
  • He pointed to the empty parking space
  • he indicated his opponents

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: point, designate, show

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inform

Narrower terms: point, finger, signalize, signalise, point out, call attention, reflect

9

verb

Meaning 9

to state or express briefly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • indicated his wishes in a letter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: contraindicate

Broader terms: inform

Narrower terms: read, register, show, record, signify, call

10

verb

Meaning 10

suggest the necessity of an intervention; in medicine

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Tetracycline is indicated in such cases

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: suggest

Antonyms: contraindicate

Broader terms: inform

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin indicātus, perfect passive participle of indicō (“to point out, indicate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“in, to”) + dicō (“to declare, (originally) to point”). See also diction and index.

Across languages

Translations

115 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: دَلَّ عَلَى (dalla ʕalā) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Arabic: رَمَزَ إِلَى (ramaza ʔilā) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Arabic: ذَكَرَ (ḏakara) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Arabic: أَشَارَ (ʔašāra) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Aragonese: endicar — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Assamese: সূচোৱা (xusüa) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Assamese: দেখুওৱা (dekhuüa) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Bulgarian: показвам (pokazvam) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Bulgarian: посочвам (posočvam) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Catalan: indicar — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Chinese Mandarin: 表明 (biǎomíng) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Chinese Mandarin: 表示 (biǎoshì) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Chinese Mandarin: 指示 (zhǐshì) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Chinese Mandarin: 預示 /预示 (yùshì) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Ngazidja Comorian: upvenua — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Czech: naznačovat — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Czech: ukazovat — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Czech: poukazovat — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Danish: anvise — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Dutch: aanwijzen — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Dutch: aanduiden — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Dutch: wijzen op — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Esperanto: indiki — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Finnish: osoittaa — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Finnish: näyttää — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Finnish: ilmaista — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • French: indiquer — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • French: signaler — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Galician: indicar — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • German: anzeigen — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • German: anweisen — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • German: andeuten — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bandwjan) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Greek: δείχνω (deíchno) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Hindi: सूचित करना (sūcit karnā) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Hindi: संकेत करना (saṅket karnā) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Hungarian: jelez — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Irish: cuir in iúl — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Italian: indicare — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Japanese: 示す (shimesu) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Japanese: 指す (sasu) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Japanese: 指摘する (shiteki-suru) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Japanese: 表示する (hyōji-suru) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Kazakh: көрсету (körsetu) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Kazakh: меңзеу (meñzeu) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Kazakh: сілтеу (sılteu) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Kazakh: аңғарту (añğartu) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Korean: 가리키다 (garikida) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Lithuanian: nurodyti — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Māori: whakaatu — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Māori: whakahahaki — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Māori: tautuhi — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Norwegian: anvise — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Norwegian: indikere — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Norwegian: signalisere — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Polish: wskazywać — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Polish: wskazać — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Portuguese: indicar — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Russian: ука́зывать (ukázyvatʹ) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Russian: указа́ть (ukazátʹ) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Sanskrit: दिशति (diśati) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Spanish: indicar — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Swedish: anvisa — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Telugu: తెలియచేయు (teliyacēyu) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Telugu: తెలుపు (telupu) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Thai: บ่งบอก (bòng-bɔ̀ɔk) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Turkish: belirtmek — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Turkish: göstermek — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Turkish: işâret etmek — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Ukrainian: вка́зувати (vkázuvaty) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Ukrainian: вказа́ти (vkazáty) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Yakut: ый (ïy) — to point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known
  • Bulgarian: означавам (označavam) — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Chinese Mandarin: 表示 (biǎoshì) — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Chinese Mandarin: 暗示 (ànshì) — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Dutch: wijzen op — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Dutch: aangeven — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Esperanto: indiki — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Finnish: olla merkkinä — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Finnish: viitata — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Finnish: indikoida — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • French: indiquer — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • German: anzeigen — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • German: andeuten — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • German: auf etwas deuten — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Ancient Greek: σημαίνω (sēmaínō) — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Hungarian: jelez — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Hungarian: mutat — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Hungarian: utal — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Hungarian: indokol — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Hungarian: indokolttá tesz — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Italian: mostrare — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Lithuanian: rodyti — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Lithuanian: parodyti — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tyde på — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Norwegian Bokmål: indikere — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Polish: ukazywać — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Spanish: indicar — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Thai: บ่งชี้ — to show or manifest by symptoms
  • Bulgarian: давам мигач (davam migač) — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Chinese Mandarin: 指示 (zhǐshì) — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Dutch: aangeven — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Finnish: vilkuttaa — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • German: den Blinker setzen — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • German: blinken — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Hindi: संकेत करना (saṅket karnā) — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Hungarian: indexel — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Italian: indicare — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Polish: sygnalizować — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Russian: сигна́лить (signálitʹ) — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Russian: показать (pokazatʹ) — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Spanish: señalizar — to signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left
  • Chinese Mandarin: 指示 (zhǐshì) — to investigate the condition or power of
  • Finnish: näyttää — to investigate the condition or power of
  • Finnish: ilmaista — to investigate the condition or power of
Real reading context

indicate in complete knowledge articles