Indicator Meaning
/ˈɪn.dɪˌkeɪ.tə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA pointer or index that indicates something.
nounA meter or gauge.
Sentence Examples
Rank smells are a clear indicator that food should be thrown away.
You forgot to drop the indicator, that's why it never changes its color.
Frogs are an indicator of the health of the forest.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The economic growth rate serves as a key ____ of the country's financial health.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The flashing red light on the dashboard is a clear ____ that the car is running out of oil.
Word Origin & History
From Late Latin indicātor (“one who points out”), from Latin indicō (“point out”). By surface analysis, indicate + -or; see indicate.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The visual indicators are a decided improvement, and have reduced the telephoning by the staff in the signalbox."
— 1954 November, “Train Arrival Indicators at Euston”, in Railway Magazine, page 738:
"These old indicators [at Earl's Court station] show the destination of the next train by the appearance of an illuminated arrow next to the station name. The arrow may indicate that a train is going to Wimbledon, but it gives no clue as to when. Now, however, the indicators are supplemented by dot matrix panels that not only say where but also when. Why aren't the old ones removed? Because they, like the whole station, are Grade II listed."
— 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 79:
"The phrase was, and remains, a double-edged sword: a testament to the hard-working and hard-living citizens of the Crescent City and an indicator of the “ah, whatever” shrug hanging over its corrupt politics, its ramshackle infrastructure and its belief that partying trumps all."
— 2015 August 12, Todd Leopold, “Return to the ‘City That Care Forgot’”, in CNN, archived from the original on 02 Jan 2022:
"'Wild' is an anagram indicator showing that the letters of 'danger' have to be rearranged."
— 2011 December 9, Collins, Crossword Secrets (Collins Little Book), HarperCollins UK, →ISBN, page 6:
"We surrounded the strike, Snowy (5)
Snowy is the definition in this clue. Ignore the punctuation and capital letter of Snowy! Surrounded is the container indicator."
— 2012 October 15, Denise Sutherland, Solving Cryptic Crosswords For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 46:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The economic growth rate serves as a key ____ of the country's financial health.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The flashing red light on the dashboard is a clear ____ that the car is running out of oil.