rebus
2
9.4
- noun
- /ˈriːbəs/
- The teacher used a rebus to help the students understand the concept of homophones.
- rebus-like
Examples
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So most ancient scripts use the Rebus principle, which is using pictures to represent words.
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In art class, we created a rebus using pictures to show a well-known saying.
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- I remember seeing this rebus decoder online.
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- Oh, rebus is like a coded message that uses the images and letters and numbers instead of words.
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None of the teachers surveyed were familiar with the rebus approach.
Academic text (1991) -
The kids solved the rebus puzzle that combined images and letters to reveal a fun phrase.
Synonyms
474
1.9
A game or problem that tests how well you think
5
6.7
A difficult question or problem for people to solve
4
6.5
A hard puzzle that needs careful thought to solve
2
7.8
A poem or puzzle where the first letters of each line spell a word
2
5.1
A difficult puzzle that needs careful thinking to solve
1
6.4
A square puzzle where the same words read across and down
1
6.3
Something that makes you think hard about a topic
Surface Forms
Etymology
Rebus comes from a Latin phrase meaning 'by things' and from the root res, which means 'thing'. A helpful way to remember it is that a rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures or objects to stand for words, so it spells a message 'by things' instead of by letters.