Adjacent Words

Represent definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REPRESENT', v.t. s as z. [L. repraesento; re and Low L. praesenter, from praesens, present.]
1. To show or exhibit by resemblance.
Before him burn seven lamps, as in a zodiac, representing the heavenly fires.
2. To describe; to exhibit to the mind in words.
The managers of the bank at Genoa have been represented as a second kind of senate.
3. To exhibit; to show by action; as a tragedy well represented.
4. To personate; to act the character or to fill the place of another in a play; as, to represent the character of king Richard.
5. To supply the place of; to act as a substitute for another. The parliament of Great Britain represents the nation. The congress of the United States represents the people or nation. The senate is considered as representing the states in their corporate capacity.
6. To show by arguments, reasoning or statement of facts. the memorial represents the situation of the petitioner. Represent to your son the danger of an idle life or profligate company.
7. To stand in the place of, in the right of inheritance.
All the branches inherit the same share that their root, whom they represent, would have done.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to; "Because of the sound changes in the course of history, an 'h' in Greek stands for an 's' in Latin" [syn: represent, stand for, correspond]
2: express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol; "What does the Statue of Liberty symbolize?" [syn: typify, symbolize, symbolise, stand for, represent]
3: be representative or typical for; "This period is represented by Beethoven"
4: be a delegate or spokesperson for; represent somebody's interest or be a proxy or substitute for, as of politicians and office holders representing their constituents, or of a tenant representing other tenants in a housing dispute; "I represent the silent majority"
5: serve as a means of expressing something; "The flower represents a young girl"
6: be characteristic of; "This compositional style is exemplified by this fugue" [syn: exemplify, represent]
7: form or compose; "This money is my only income"; "The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance"; "These constitute my entire belonging"; "The children made up the chorus"; "This sum represents my entire income for a year"; "These few men comprise his entire army" [syn: constitute, represent, make up, comprise, be]
8: be the defense counsel for someone in a trial; "Ms. Smith will represent the defendant" [syn: defend, represent] [ant: prosecute]
9: create an image or likeness of; "The painter represented his wife as a young girl" [syn: represent, interpret]
10: play a role or part; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master" [syn: act, play, represent]
11: perform (a play), especially on a stage; "we are going to stage `Othello'" [syn: stage, present, represent]
12: describe or present, usually with respect to a particular quality; "He represented this book as an example of the Russian 19th century novel"
13: point out or draw attention to in protest or remonstrance; "our parents represented to us the need for more caution"
14: bring forward and present to the mind; "We presented the arguments to him"; "We cannot represent this knowledge to our formal reason" [syn: present, represent, lay out]
15: to establish a mapping (of mathematical elements or sets) [syn: map, represent]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French representer, from Latin repraesentare, from re- + praesentare to present Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to bring clearly before the mind ; present <a book which represents the character of early America> 2. to serve as a sign or symbol of <the flag represents our country> 3. to portray or exhibit in art ; depict 4. to serve as the counterpart or image of ; typify <a movie hero who represents the ideals of the culture> 5. a. to produce on the stage b. to act the part or role of 6. a. (1) to take the place of in some respect (2) to act in the place of or for usually by legal right (3) to manage the legal and business affairs of <athletes represented by top lawyers and agents> b. to serve especially in a legislative body by delegated authority usually resulting from election 7. to describe as having a specified character or quality <represents himself as a friend> 8. a. to give one's impression and judgment of ; state in a manner intended to affect action or judgment b. to point out in protest or remonstrance 9. to serve as a specimen, example, or instance of 10. a. to form an image or representation of in the mind b. (1) to apprehend (an object) by means of an idea (2) to recall in memory 11. to correspond to in essence ; constitute intransitive verb 1. to make representations against something ; protest 2. slang to perform a task or duty admirably ; serve as an outstanding example • representable adjective • representer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 stand for or correspond to (the comment does not represent all our views). 2 (often in passive) be a specimen or example of; exemplify (all types of people were represented in the audience). 3 act as an embodiment of; symbolize (the sovereign represents the majesty of the State; numbers are represented by letters). 4 call up in the mind by description or portrayal or imagination; place a likeness of before the mind or senses. 5 serve or be meant as a likeness of. 6 a state by way of expostulation or persuasion (represented the rashness of it). b (foll. by to) try to bring (the facts influencing conduct) home to (represented the risks to his client). 7 (often foll. by as, to be) describe or depict as; declare or make out (represented them as martyrs; not what you represent it to be). 8 (foll. by that + clause) allege. 9 show, or play the part of, on stage. 10 fill the place of; be a substitute or deputy for; be entitled to act or speak for (the Queen was represented by the Princess of Wales). 11 be elected as a member of Parliament, a legislature, etc. by (represents a rural constituency). Derivatives: representable adj. representability n. Etymology: ME f. OF representer or f. L repraesentare (as RE-, PRESENT(2))

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Represent Rep`re*sent" (r?p`r?-z?nt"), v. t. [F. repr?senter, L. repraesentare, repraesentatum; pref. re- re- + preesentare to place before, present. See Present, v. t.] 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. Before him burn Seven lamps, as in a zodiac representing The heavenly fires. --Milton. 2. To portray by pictoral or plastic art; to delineate; as, to represent a landscape in a picture, a horse in bronze, and the like. 3. To portray by mimicry or action of any kind; to act the part or character of; to personate; as, to represent Hamlet. 4. To stand in the place of; to supply the place, perform the duties, exercise the rights, or receive the share, of; to speak and act with authority in behalf of; to act the part of (another); as, an heir represents his ancestor; an attorney represents his client in court; a member of Congress represents his district in Congress. 5. To exhibit to another mind in language; to show; to give one's own impressions and judgement of; to bring before the mind; to set forth; sometimes, to give an account of; to describe. He represented Rizzio's credit with the queen to be the chief and only obstacle to his success in that demand. --Robertson. This bank is thought the greatest load on the Genoese, and the managers of it have been represented as a second kind of senate. --Addison. 6. To serve as a sign or symbol of; as, mathematical symbols represent quantities or relations; words represent ideas or things. 7. To bring a sensation of into the mind or sensorium; to cause to be known, felt, or apprehended; to present. Among these. Fancy next Her office holds; of all external things Which he five watchful senses represent, She forms imaginations, aery shapes. --Milton. 8. (Metaph.) To form or image again in consciousness, as an object of cognition or apprehension (something which was originally apprehended by direct presentation). See Presentative, 3. The general capability of knowledge necessarily requires that, besides the power of evoking out of unconsciousness one portion of our retained knowledge in preference to another, we posses the faculty of representing in consciousness what is thus evoked . . . This representative Faculty is Imagination or Phantasy. --Sir. W. Hamilton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(represents, representing, represented) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If someone such as a lawyer or a politician represents a person or group of people, they act on behalf of that person or group. ...the politicians we elect to represent us... VERB: V n 2. If you represent a person or group at an official event, you go there on their behalf. The general secretary may represent the president at official ceremonies. VERB: V n 3. If you represent your country or town in a competition or sports event, you take part in it on behalf of the country or town where you live. My only aim is to represent Britain at the Olympics. VERB: V n 4. If a group of people or things is well represented in a particular activity or in a particular place, a lot of them can be found there. Women are already well represented in the area of TV drama... In New Mexico all kinds of cuisines are represented. V-PASSIVE: be adv V-ed, be V-ed 5. If you say that something represents a change, achievement, or victory, you mean that it is a change, achievement, or victory. (FORMAL or WRITTEN) These developments represented a major change in the established order. V-LINK: V n 6. If a sign or symbol represents something, it is accepted as meaning that thing. ...a black dot in the middle of the circle is supposed to represent the source of the radiation. = symbolize VERB: no cont, V n 7. To represent an idea or quality means to be a symbol or an expression of that idea or quality. We believe you represent everything British racing needs. = embody VERB: no cont, no passive, V n 8. If you represent a person or thing as a particular thing, you describe them as being that thing. The popular press tends to represent him as an environmental guru. = portray VERB: V n as n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Exhibit, show. 2. Delineate, depict, portray, set forth, describe, exhibit, give an account of, show. 3. Personate, take the part of, portray by action. 4. Stand for, stand in the place of. 5. Delineate, portray, reproduce, depict, image.

Moby Thesaurus

act a part, act between, act for, act out, affect, answer for, appear for, arbitrate, assert, back up, bargain, betoken, body forth, brandish, breathe, bring forth, bring forward, bring into view, bring out, bring to life, bring to notice, call to mind, call up, catch a likeness, change places with, character, characterize, chart, commission, conjure up, copy, create a role, crowd out, cut out, dangle, define, delineate, demonstrate, denote, depict, deputize, describe, develop, diagram, disclose, displace, display, divulge, double for, draft, dramatize, draw, emblematize, embody, enact, envisage, envision, epitomize, evidence, evince, evoke, exemplify, exhibit, expose to view, express, fill in for, flaunt, flourish, front for, ghost, ghostwrite, give sign, give token, give words to, go between, highlight, hint, hit off, illuminate, illustrate, image, imitate, impersonate, incarnate, indicate, intercede, intermediate, interpose, interpret, intervene, judge, just see, limn, make clear, make plain, make terms, manifest, map, masquerade as, materialize, mean, mediate, meet halfway, mimic, mirror, moderate, narrate, negotiate, notate, note, objectify, outline, paint, parade, perform, personalize, personate, personify, picture, picturize, pinch-hit, pinch-hit for, play a part, play a role, play opposite, portray, pose as, present, pretend, pretend to be, print, produce, put forth, realize, referee, reflect, register, relate, relieve, render, replace, report, reproduce, reveal, roll out, rub, schematize, see, set forth, show, show forth, signify, sketch, speak for, spell, spell off, spotlight, stand for, stand in for, state, step in, subrogate, substitute, substitute for, succeed, suggest, summon up, supersede, supplant, support, sustain a part, swap places with, symbolize, take a part, take a rubbing, token, trace, trace out, trace over, treat with, trot out, typify, umpire, understudy, understudy for, unfold, vision, visualize, wave, write