indicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to be a sign of; betoken; evidence; show.
His hesitation really indicates his doubt about the venture.
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to point out or point to; direct attention to.
to indicate a place on a map.
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to show, as by measuring or recording; make known.
The thermometer indicates air temperature.
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to state or express, especially briefly or in a general way; signal.
He indicated his disapproval but did not go into detail.
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Medicine/Medical.
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(of symptoms) to point out (a particular remedy, treatment, etc.) as suitable or necessary.
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to show the presence of (a condition, infection, etc.).
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verb
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(may take a clause as object) to be or give a sign or symptom of; imply
cold hands indicate a warm heart
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to point out or show
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(may take a clause as object) to state briefly; suggest
he indicated what his feelings were
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(of instruments) to show a reading of
the speedometer indicated 50 miles per hour
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(usually passive) to recommend or require
surgery seems to be indicated for this patient
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interindicateverb (used with object)
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reindicateverb (used with object)
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indicatableadjective
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indicatoryadjective
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unindicatedadjective
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well-indicatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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indicatesimple
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indicatessimple
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have indicatedperfect
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has indicatedperfect
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am indicatingprogressive
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are indicatingprogressive
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is indicatingprogressive
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have been indicatingperfect progressive
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has been indicatingperfect progressive
Past
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indicatedsimple
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had indicatedperfect
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was indicatingprogressive
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were indicatingprogressive
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had been indicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of indicate
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin indicātus, past participle of indicāre “to point, make known,” equivalent to indic- (stem of index ) “pointer, marker, informer” + -ātus past participle suffix; see index, -ate 1
Explanation
To indicate means to point something out or to present evidence. If you feel sick during a car trip, you can indicate this to the driver by groaning loudly or announcing "I'm going to be sick!" Scientists rely on data from experiments to indicate whether their theories are correct. Indicate can also describe a symptom or signal of something else. For example, a stock market recovery could indicate growing public confidence — or foolishness, depending on which expert you ask. The verb indicate comes from the noun indication, which in turn comes from the Latin word indicare, meaning "something that points out or shows."
Vocabulary lists containing indicate
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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.
See Examples For:
Sources indicate Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Guiu are among the players available for transfer, while Mamadou Sarr is expected to leave on loan elsewhere in the Premier League.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The models also indicate that two treatments may not be enough in many cases.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Investors are closely following Alphabet’s capital expenditure guidance, as a pullback would indicate cooling AI investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The data indicate many IPOs lag the broader market for up to 2½ years, as early enthusiasm fades and insider selling increases supply.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
A fracture might indicate a war wound or an accident.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
While it still trails top closed-source U.S. models, the release indicates that the U.S. lead over Chinese AI labs has shrunk to roughly six to nine months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Archaeological evidence indicates that Shimao had a strongly stratified society with organized political and social systems.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
A new working paper examining thousands of recent Y Combinator and other U.S. venture-backed startups indicates as much.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Recent research indicates that the volcanic event may have been driven by a thermochemical plume rising from deep within the mantle.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
The second line of the table below indicates the vocal syllables for this particular 16-beat cycle.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The individuals had indicated on their applications that they weren’t U.S. citizens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
He indicated in his speech that he would set out how the cost of living measures will be paid for.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Rodriguez falsely indicated that the victim’s cell phone number was associated with the robbery suspect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The statistical analysis indicated a 99 percent probability that the medication was more effective than the placebo.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
According to undertaker, “The position of the body indicated that he had fallen in that position and had not been carried there.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Deeper implantation generally requires particles with greater energy, indicating that the Moon's far side was exposed to a faster and more energetic solar wind.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
"Our recent operation focused on instances where multiple accounts displayed patterns of activity indicating they may have been centrally controlled, coordinated by the same individual, or operated using automated software," they said.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
“No evidence indicating that the defendant was driving under the influence was presented to our office.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
The RSI has now fallen dramatically, to 37.86, a level still above the 30 mark indicating oversold conditions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
He held out his left hand with the thumb and forefinger curved round, indicating the gap between them to be about as long as the thumb itself.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.