typify
Americanverb
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to be typical of; characterize
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to symbolize or represent completely, by or as if by a type
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have typifiedperfect
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has typifiedperfect 3rd person singular
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am typifyingprogressive 1st person singular
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is typifyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are typifyingprogressive
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has been typifyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been typifyingperfect progressive
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typifyingparticiple
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typifiessingular 3rd person
Past
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had typifiedperfect
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was typifyingprogressive singular
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were typifyingprogressive plural
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had been typifyingperfect progressive
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typifiedsimple
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typifiedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of typify
Explanation
To typify is to represent what is typical of something or someone. You might say that screaming and door slamming typify your spoiled cousin if that kind of behavior is exactly the kind of thing she usually does. Something that's characteristic of a group of people typifies them. You might observe, for example, that studying late on a Friday night typifies your college friends who are math majors. You could also say that sunny days and cool nights typify autumn in New England, since that's the typical weather for that particular place and time. The root word is Greek — typos, which means "dent, impression, mark, figure, or original form."
Vocabulary lists containing typify
"The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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The Namesake
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Articles on Dangers of Technology
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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.
What better show to typify that era of relative calm than what the characters on “Seinfeld” described as a show about nothing?
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
The hashtag #PoorMartha was used on social media to typify fans’ glee at her susceptibility.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2023
Wales' shirt numbers were falling off to confuse matters and typify the frantic opening exchanges.
From BBC • Oct. 14, 2023
Nonetheless, NEV sales that typify big-ticket spending have mirrored a tepid rebound in consumption after China abruptly ended COVID-19 containment measures late last year.
From Reuters • Jun. 8, 2023
Merlin has a bright, fair, rather chubby face and blue eyes, and seems to typify the northern intelligence.
From Sea and Sardinia by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)
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.
