represent

verb — 16 senses

represent

verb

CA, US, UK /ˌɹɛpɹɪˈzɛnt/ · AU /ˌɹepɹɪˈzent/

Etymology From Old French représenter, from Latin repraesentō. Displaced native Old English spelian (“to represent”).

14 senses
  1. 1To present again or anew; to present by means of…
  2. 2To portray visually; to delineate.
  3. 3To portray by mimicry or acting; to act the part or character of.
  4. 4To stand or act in the place of; to perform the duties…
  5. 5To act as a representative of (a country, state, district etc.).
  6. 6To portray to another using language; to show; to give…
  7. 7To give an account of; to describe.
  8. 8To serve as a sign or symbol of.
  9. 9To bring a certain sensation of into the mind; to cause…
  10. 10To form or image again in consciousness, as an object of…
  11. 11To constitute, to make up, to be an example of.
  12. 12To participate as a team member.
  13. 13To play as if holding (a set of cards); to play as if…
  14. 14To constitute a good example or symbol of a group of…
1

To present again or anew; to present by means of something standing in the place of; to exhibit the counterpart or image of; to typify.

2

To portray visually; to delineate.

  • a landscape can be represented in a picture.
  • The sculptor represented a horse in bronze.
3

To portray by mimicry or acting; to act the part or character of.

  • It has always been his dream to represent Hamlet on Broadway.
4

To stand or act in the place of; to perform the duties, exercise the rights, or otherwise act on behalf of.

  • He sent his agent to represent himself at the meeting.
  • As he was too ill to accept the award, his brother represented him at the ceremony.
1 more example
  • An attorney's job is to represent his client in court
5

Government, Politics To act as a representative of (a country, state, district etc.).

  • They chose a member of Congress to represent their district.
6

To portray to another using language; to show; to give one's own impressions and judgement of.

  • He represented that he was investigating for the police department.
7

To give an account of; to describe.

8

To serve as a sign or symbol of.

  • The @ symbol represents the online world.
  • A dove is often used to represent peace.
1 more example
  • A person climbs a mountain, not only "because it is there," but also because it represents a fundamental and personal challenge.1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 150:
9

To bring a certain sensation of into the mind; to cause to be known, felt, or apprehended; to present.

10

To form or image again in consciousness, as an object of cognition or apprehension (something presentative, which was originally apprehended by direct presentation).

11

To constitute, to make up, to be an example of.

  • Rounded stone and glass objects with fine radiating scratches on one surface represent the slickstones that were used in garment-making and laundry, to smooth the cloth and to press seams and pleats.2020 January 31, Penelope Walton Rogers, “Textile networks in Viking-age towns of Britain and Ireland”, in Stephen P. Ashby, Søren Sindbæk, editors, Crafts and Social Networks in Viking Towns, →ISBN, page 101:
12

Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To participate as a team member.

13

Card games, Poker To play as if holding (a set of cards); to play as if having made (a hand).

  • Richard was holding the nuts, but he was trying to represent two-pair to get the other players to bet.
14

To constitute a good example or symbol of a group of people; to acquit oneself well.

African-American Vernacular

  • I'm representing for the gangsters all across the world. Still hitting them corners in them low lows girl.1999, Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg, Still D.R.E.:
Synonyms
form, make up
Derived terms
metarepresent, misrepresent, overrepresent, representee, representer, representment, representor, rerepresent, under-represent, underrepresent, unrepresent
Related terms
representability, representable, representation, representative

represent

verb

/ˌɹi(ː).pɹɪˈzɛnt/ · /ˈɹiː.pɹɪˌzɛnt/

Etymology From re- + present.

1

Medicine, Sciences To present again, for instance for medical attention.

  • represented to the emergency department
2

Broadly To present again, possibly in an altered form.

  • video game represented as live-action television
Related terms
representation

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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