meaning in english of representation

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• representation

the act of representing.

the state of being represented.

the expression or designation by some term, character, symbol, or the like.

action or speech on behalf of a person, group, business house, state, or the like by an agent, deputy, or representative.

the state or fact of being so represented: to demand representation on a board of directors.

Government . the state, fact, or right of being represented by delegates having a voice in legislation or government.

the body or number of representatives, as of a constituency.

Diplomacy .

the act of speaking or negotiating on behalf of a state.

an utterance on behalf of a state.

presentation to the mind, as of an idea or image.

a mental image or idea so presented; concept.

the act of portrayal, picturing, or other rendering in visible form.

a picture, figure, statue, etc.

the production or a performance of a play or the like, as on the stage.

Often representations. a description or statement, as of things true or alleged.

a statement of facts, reasons, etc., made in appealing or protesting; a protest or remonstrance.

Law . an implication or statement of fact to which legal liability may attach if material: a representation of authority.

Origin of representation

Other words from representation.

• non·rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun
• o·ver·rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun
• pre·rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun
• self-rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun
• un·der·rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun

Words Nearby representation

• reprehensible
• reprehension
• representational
• representationalism
• representative
• representatives

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use representation in a sentence

It was a metaphorical statement of giving and withdrawing consent for a show rooted in a literal representation of Coel being assaulted.

The mathematically manipulated results are passed on and augmented through the stages, finally producing an integrated representation of a face.

I hope this list—a representation of the most consequential changes taking places in our world—is similarly useful for you.

“Given the moment we are in, I can only hope our institutions really understand what this failure of representation means to our city,” he said.

The voters don’t want to have an elected city attorney on the, and representation said, that’s fine.

With all that said, representation of each of these respective communities has increased in the new Congress.

As this excellent piece in Mother Jones describes, however, Holsey had outrageously poor representation during his trial.

During that time days, Livvix went through court hearings without legal representation .

What do you think prompted the change in comic book representation of LGBTQ characters?

Barbie is an unrealistic, unhealthy, insulting representation of female appearance.

With less intelligent children traces of this tendency to take pictorial representation for reality may appear as late as four.

As observation widens and grows finer, the first bald representation becomes fuller and more life-like.

The child now aims at constructing a particular linear representation , that of a man, a horse, or what not.

He had heard it hinted that allowing the colonies representation in Parliament would be a simple plan for making taxes legal.

But sufficient can be discerned for the grasping of the idea, which seems to be a representation of the Nativity.

British Dictionary definitions for representation

/ ( ˌrɛprɪzɛnˈteɪʃən ) /

the act or an instance of representing or the state of being represented

anything that represents, such as a verbal or pictorial portrait

anything that is represented, such as an image brought clearly to mind

the principle by which delegates act for a constituency

a body of representatives

contract law a statement of fact made by one party to induce another to enter into a contract

an instance of acting for another, on his authority, in a particular capacity, such as executor or administrator

a dramatic production or performance

(often plural) a statement of facts, true or alleged, esp one set forth by way of remonstrance or expostulation

linguistics an analysis of a word, sentence, etc, into its constituents : phonetic representation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Definition of 'representation'

• representation

Video: pronunciation of representation

representation in British English

Representation in american english, examples of 'representation' in a sentence representation, cobuild collocations representation, trends of representation.

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In other languages representation

• American English : representation / rɛprɪzɛnˈteɪʃən /
• Brazilian Portuguese : representação
• Chinese : 代表
• European Spanish : representación
• French : représentation
• German : Vertretung
• Italian : rappresentanza
• Japanese : 代表
• Korean : 대표
• European Portuguese : representação
• Latin American Spanish : representación
• Thai : การมีตัวแทน

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• represent value
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• ensure representation
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Meaning of representation – Learner’s Dictionary

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representation noun ( SPEAKING FOR )

Representation noun ( showing ).

(Definition of representation from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of representation

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bits and bobs

small things or jobs of different types

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• representation

rep·re·sen·ta·tion

Rep•re•sen•ta•tion.

• macrograph - A life-size drawing or representation.
• simulacrum - In the original sense of the word, it was simply a representation of something, such as an oil painting or marble statue.
• representational art - Art that seeks to depict the physical appearance of reality; also called objective art and figurative art.
• logogram , logograph , grammalogue - A logogram or logograph is the same as a grammalogue, a word represented by a single sign, like $.

Representation

• abstractionism
• Additional Member System
• adumbration
• anaglyphoscope
• anamorphosy
• binary coded decimal
• cognitive content
• concrete representation
• convergence
• cosmography
• repoussé
• Repousse work
• Reprehender
• reprehensibility
• reprehensible
• reprehensibly
• reprehension
• reprehensive
• reprehensively
• Reprehensory
• representable
• representamen
• Representance
• representant
• Re-presentation
• representational
• representational art
• representational process
• representational system
• representationalism
• Representationary
• representative
• representative downwind direction
• representative downwind speed
• representative fraction
• representative sample
• representative sampling
• representatively
• representativeness
• represented
• representee
• representer
• representment
• representor
• repressed memory
• represent to
• represent to (someone or something)
• Represent to Witness
• represent us as
• represent us in
• represent us to
• represent you as
• represent you in
• represent you to
• represent yourself as
• represent yourself in
• represent yourself to
• Represent/Represented
• representability
• Representable functor
• representablely
• Representaciones Riquelme y Cerramientos Murcia
• Representamen
• Representant
• Representante Especial del Secretario General
• Representatieve Vakorganisaties
• Representation (arts)
• Representation (disambiguation)
• Representation (psychology)
• Representation Agreement Resource Centre
• Representation and Maintenance of Process Knowledge
• Representation and Transportation Allowances
• Representation and Welfare Unit
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• Représentation des Institutions Françaises de Sécurité Sociale
• Representation Fund Custodian
• Representation Language Language
• Représentation Militaire Française
• Representation of People's Act
• Representation of persons; a fiction of the law
• Representation of Stimuli as Neural Activity Project
• Representation of the People Act
• Representation of the People Acts
• Representation of the People Order
• Representation oligonucleotide microarray analysis
• Representation Oligonucleotide Microarray Analysis (ROMA)
• Representation Quality
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[Latin repraesentare ‘to make present or manifest’]

1. Depicting or ‘making present’ something which is absent (e.g. people, places, events, or abstractions) in a different form: as in paintings, photographs, films, or language, rather than as a replica . See also description; compare absent presence.

2. The function of a sign or symbol of ‘standing for’ that to which it refers (its referent).

3. The various processes of production involved in generating representational texts in any medium, including the mass media (e.g. the filming, editing, and broadcasting of a television documentary). Such framings of the concept privilege authorial intention. See also auteur theory; authorial determinism; sender-oriented communication.

4. A text (in any medium) which is the product of such processes, usually regarded as amenable to textual analysis (‘a representation’).

5. What is explicitly or literally described, depicted, or denoted in a sign, text, or discourse in any medium as distinct from its symbolic meaning, metaphoric meaning, or connotations: its manifest referential content, as in ‘a representation of…’ See also mimesis; naturalism; referentiality.

6. How (in what ways) something is depicted. However ‘realistic’ texts may seem to be, they involve some form of transformation. Representations are unavoidably selective (none can ever ‘show the whole picture’), and within a limited frame, some things are foregrounded and others backgrounded: see also framing; generic representation; selective representation; stylization. In factual genres in the mass media, critics understandably focus on issues such as truth, accuracy, bias, and distortion ( see also reflectionism), or on whose realities are being represented and whose are being denied. See also dominant ideology; manipulative model; stereotyping; symbolic erasure.

7. The relation of a sign or text in any medium to its referent. In reflectionist framings, the transparent re- presentation, reflection, recording, transcription, or reproduction of a pre-existing reality ( see also imaginary signifier; mimesis; realism). In constructionist framings, the transformation of particular social realities, subjectivities, or identities in processes which are ostensibly merely re- presentations ( see also constitutive models; interpellation; reality construction). Some postmodern theorists avoid the term representation completely because the epistemological assumptions of realism seem to be embedded within it.

8. A cycle of processes of textual and meaning production and reception situated in a particular sociohistorical context ( see also circuit of communication; circuit of culture). This includes the active processes in which audiences engage in the interpretation of texts ( see also active audience theory; beholder's share; picture perception). Semiotics highlights representational codes which need to be decoded ( see also encoding/decoding model; photographic codes; pictorial codes; realism), and related to a relevant context ( see also Jakobson's model).

9. (narratology) Showing as distinct from telling (narration).

10. (mental representation) The process and product of encoding perceptual experience in the mind: see dual coding theory; gestalt laws; mental representation; perceptual codes; selective perception; selective retention.

11. A relationship in which one person (a representative) acting on behalf of another (as in law), or a political principle in which one person acts, in some sense, on behalf of a group of people, normally having been chosen by them to do so (as in representative democracies).

From:   representation   in  A Dictionary of Media and Communication »

Subjects: Media studies

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Definition of represent

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

intransitive verb

Definition of re-present  (Entry 2 of 2)

• characterize

Examples of represent in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'represent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English, from Anglo-French representer , from Latin repraesentare , from re- + praesentare to present

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

1564, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near represent

reprehensory

Cite this Entry

“Represent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/represent. Accessed 7 Apr. 2024.

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Kids definition of represent, legal definition, legal definition of represent, more from merriam-webster on represent.

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representation noun 1

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What does the noun representation mean?

There are 19 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun representation , three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

representation has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

How common is the noun representation ?

How is the noun representation pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun representation come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun representation is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for representation is from around 1450, in St. Elizabeth of Spalbeck .

representation is of multiple origins. Either (i) a borrowing from French. Or (ii) a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: French representation ; Latin repraesentātiōn- , repraesentātiō .

Nearby entries

• reprehensory, adj. 1576–1825
• repremiation, n. 1611
• represent, n. a1500–1635
• represent, v.¹ c1390–
• re-present, v.² 1564–
• representable, adj. & n. 1630–
• representamen, n. 1677–
• representance, n. 1565–
• representant, n. 1622–
• representant, adj. 1851–82
• representation, n.¹ c1450–
• re-presentation, n.² 1805–
• representational, adj. 1850–
• representationalism, n. 1846–
• representationalist, adj. & n. 1846–
• representationary, adj. 1856–
• representationism, n. 1842–
• representationist, n. & adj. 1842–
• representation theory, n. 1928–
• representative, adj. & n. a1475–
• representative fraction, n. 1860–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for representation, n.¹.

representation, n.¹ was revised in December 2009.

representation, n.¹ was last modified in March 2024.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into representation, n.¹ in March 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1906)

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• representation

noun as in description

Strongest matches

depiction , image , portrayal

Strong matches

adumbration , copy , delegation , delineation , design , duplicate , enactment , exhibition , illustration , imitation , impersonation , impression , likeness , narration , personification , reproduction

noun as in likeness

image , portrayal

account , chart , delegation , diagram , effigy , embodiment , graph , icon , illustration , map , model , picture , protest , sample , sketch , statement , symbol

Discover More

Related words.

Words related to representation are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word representation . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in coming into sight

• actualization
• introduction
• manifestation
• materialization
• presentation

noun as in creation meant to communicate or appeal to senses or mind

• abstraction
• description
• illustration
• pictorialization
• symbolization

noun as in personal interest

• countenance
• encouragement
• furtherance
• recommendation

noun as in funny drawing, often with dialogue or caption

• comic strip

noun as in statement of disagreement, discontent

• dissatisfaction
• expostulation
• fault-finding
• protestation
• remonstrance
• remonstration

Viewing 5 / 84 related words

Example Sentences

It was a metaphorical statement of giving and withdrawing consent for a show rooted in a literal representation of Coel being assaulted.

The mathematically manipulated results are passed on and augmented through the stages, finally producing an integrated representation of a face.

I hope this list—a representation of the most consequential changes taking places in our world—is similarly useful for you.

“Given the moment we are in, I can only hope our institutions really understand what this failure of representation means to our city,” he said.

The voters don’t want to have an elected city attorney on the, and representation said, that’s fine.

With all that said, representation of each of these respective communities has increased in the new Congress.

As this excellent piece in Mother Jones describes, however, Holsey had outrageously poor representation during his trial.

During that time days, Livvix went through court hearings without legal representation.

What do you think prompted the change in comic book representation of LGBTQ characters?

Barbie is an unrealistic, unhealthy, insulting representation of female appearance.

With less intelligent children traces of this tendency to take pictorial representation for reality may appear as late as four.

As observation widens and grows finer, the first bald representation becomes fuller and more life-like.

The child now aims at constructing a particular linear representation, that of a man, a horse, or what not.

He had heard it hinted that allowing the colonies representation in Parliament would be a simple plan for making taxes legal.

But sufficient can be discerned for the grasping of the idea, which seems to be a representation of the Nativity.

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On this page you'll find 123 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to representation, such as: depiction, image, portrayal, adumbration, copy, and delegation.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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Definition of represent verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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