icon

1 of 2

noun

ˈī-ˌkän 

variants or less commonly ikon

plural icons also ikons

1

: a person or thing widely admired especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere

a civil rights icon

an actor and fashion icon

… Purple Rain, the flick that established Prince as a pop icon and cineaste.

—Robert Christgau and Carola Dibbell

That cultural icon, the Nintendo Game Boy, was released in 1989 …

—Eleanor Flegg

2

: emblem, symbol

Rosie the Riveter, a WWII [World War II] cultural icon with her blue jumpsuit and red bandana, represented the women who went to work at manufacturing hubs across the nation …

—David DeBolt

A single photograph, the photograph of Earth taken from space by William Anders, on Apollo 8, in 1968, served as an icon for the entire environmental movement.

—Jill Lepore

The nation's first President was transformed into an icon, a national symbol whose somewhat forbidding portrait would adorn the dollar bill.

—John J. O'Connor

3

a

: a graphic symbol on a computer display screen that represents an app, an object (such as a file), or a function (such as the command to save)

b

: a sign (such as a word or graphic symbol) whose form suggests its meaning

c

archaic : a usually pictorial representation : image

4

[Late Greek eikōn, from Greek] in Eastern Orthodox Christianity : a representation (as in a mural, a mosaic, or a painting on wood) of sacred events or especially of a sacred individual (such as Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint) used as an object of veneration or a tool for instruction

icon-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or icono-

: image

iconolatry

Synonyms

Noun

• god
• hero
• idol

Examples of icon in a Sentence

Noun

Click on the icon to open your e-mail program.

He has become an icon in the movie business.

a singer who has become a pop icon

The Statue of Liberty has become an American cultural icon.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

King and the reality icon also added that the other woman shouldn’t be posting the man or clues that point back to him on social media. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Apr. 2024

The Oscar-winning actress and The Partridge Family icon hit the big 9-0 on Sunday, March 31 — and celebrated in an intimate party in a snowy mountain getaway. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

John Sinclair, the beatnik poet and Detroit counterculture icon, died Tuesday morning of heart failure at 82. —Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024

The Tony-winning Broadway icon Bernadette Peters has long been considered one of the foremost performers of composer Stephen Sondheim‘s work. —Gordon Cox, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024

John Sinclair — the celebrated counterculture icon, poet, and political activist who advocated for cannabis and rock & roll and managed the MC5 — died on Tuesday at the age of 82. —Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024

Fans flocked to see Latin icons, from Celia Cruz to Bad Bunny. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

With Tuesday’s split into two companies, the break up of the once mighty industrial icon is complete. —Chris Isidore, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024

Some label Michael Jordan as the best to ever lace them up in the league, pointing to the six championships — including a pair of three-peats — along with his position as a global icon who changed the game in more ways than one. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin, from Greek eikōn, from eikenai to resemble

Combining form

Greek eikon-, eikono-, from eikon-, eikōn

First Known Use

Noun

1572, in the meaning defined at sense 3c

Kids Definition

icon

noun

variants also ikon

ˈī-ˌkän

1

: a religious image usually painted on a small wooden panel

2

: emblem sense 1, symbol

3

: a pictorial symbol on a computer screen