Meaning & use
icon
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person or thing admired by many as a symbol of an idea, place or time.
Grammar: Countable: a cultural icon.
Patterns
- an icon of something
- a cultural icon
The singer became a fashion icon.
The tower is an icon of the city.
He is a national sporting icon.
nouncountablecomputing
A small picture on a screen that stands for a program, file or action.
Grammar: Click or tap an icon.
Patterns
- click on an icon
- tap the icon
Tap the camera icon to take a photo.
The app icon is a blue square.
Drag the icon to the trash.
nouncountablereligion
A painting of a holy figure, used in worship, especially in Orthodox churches.
Grammar: Often a religious painting.
Patterns
- an icon of someone
An icon of Mary hung above the altar.
The monk painted icons on wood.
Candles burned before the icon.
Word forms
| plural | icons |
|---|
Common combinations
- cultural icon
- She is a cultural icon.
- fashion icon
- A fashion icon wore the dress.
- click the icon
- Click the icon to open the file.
- religious icon
- A religious icon decorated the wall.
- global icon
- A global icon of peace.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- iconic adjective
- widely known and representing something
- iconography noun
- the images used in art or a tradition
- iconoclast noun
- someone who attacks cherished beliefs
Commonly confused: icon or ikon?
icon vs ikon
Ikon is a variant spelling of the religious painting.
Practice
On a phone, what is an app icon?
Choose one answer.
In computing, an icon is a small picture that stands for a program or action.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “icon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.