to act or speak officially for another person, group, or country
The lawyer will represent the company in court tomorrow.
We chose Maria to represent our class at the student council meeting.
✦ From Middle English representen, from Old French représenter, from Latin repraesentāre “to place before, show, exhibit”.
to be a symbol or sign of something; to stand for
In many cultures, white doves represent peace.
On maps, a blue line usually represents a river.
to show or portray something in a picture, description, model, or performance
The painting represents a calm evening by the sea.
This 3-D model represents the new city hall design.
to amount to or be the same as something; to constitute
Women represent 60 percent of the company’s workforce.
This figure represents a major step forward for our research.
a person who is chosen or elected to speak or act for a group of other people
The town elected Maria as their representative on the council.
Each class sends one representative to the student parliament.
✦ from Medieval Latin repraesentativus “serving to represent,” from Latin repraesentare “to show, present” + ‑ivus "-ive".
showing the typical qualities of a larger group so that it can stand for that group
We took a representative sample of 100 households.
This painting is representative of her early style.
✦ adjective use from Latin repraesentativus, meaning 'serving to present or exhibit'.
