- A thing that represents or stands for something else, esp. a material object representing something abstract
- (symbolic) emblematic: serving as a visible symbol for something abstract; "a crown is emblematic of royalty"; "the spinning wheel was as symbolic of colonical Massachusetts as the codfish"
- (symbol) an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
- (symbol) something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible; "the eagle is a symbol of the United States"
- A mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g., the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation
- A shape or sign used to represent something such as an organization, e.g., a red cross or a Star of David