1 [T] to act or speak in the place of sb else; to be the representative of a group or country 代表；作为（一个群体或国家的）代表: You will need a lawyer to represent you in court. 你需要一位律师在庭上替你辩护。It's an honour for an athlete to represent his or her country. 能代表自己国家参加比赛是运动员的光荣。

2 linking verb to be equal to sth; to be sth 相当于: These results represent a major breakthrough in our understanding of cancer. 这些成果意味着我们对癌症的认识取得了重大突破。

3 [T] to be a picture, sign, example, etc of sb/sth 代表；表示；象征: The yellow lines on the map represent minor roads. 地图上的黄线代表小路。

4 [T] to describe sb/sth in a particular way （以某方式）描述，描写