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# indicator

«indicator» in Mova's school dictionary: **something that shows or points to what is happening or…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an indicator, indicators)

### meaning for a pupil

1) An indicator is something that shows or points to what is happening or what is true, like a sign or measurement. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#m1)

2) On a car or bike, an indicator is a flashing light that shows which way the vehicle will turn (a «blinker» or «turn signal» in the US). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#m2)

3) In science, an indicator is a substance that changes colour to show whether something is an acid or an alkali. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons, pupils use red cabbage juice or litmus paper as indicators of acids and alkalis. In road safety, look for a car's indicators but never trust them completely; cyclists use hand signals as indicators. In maths and data, an indicator is a measure that shows a trend, like temperature as an indicator of season. Phrases: litmus indicator, universal indicator, put the indicator on, a good indicator of.

### examples

- Litmus paper is an indicator that turns red in acid. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#x1)
- Red cabbage juice is an indicator: it changes colour in vinegar. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#x2)
- The car's left indicator was flashing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#x3)
- Dad put his indicator on before turning right. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#x4)
- Dark clouds are an indicator of rain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#x5)
- The fuel indicator showed the tank was nearly empty. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/#x6)

### note

Countable: indicators («an» before the vowel). Verb: indicate. Car «indicator» is UK/Australian English; US says «turn signal» or «blinker». A car's indicator shows what the driver plans, but always check the car really is turning.

### In the corpora

- [The juice is an indicator: a colour that tells you whether something is an acid or an alkali.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/17-indicators-the-red-cabbage-rainbow/2/)
- [Scientists use indicators too: litmus paper, made from lichens, turns red in acid and blue in alkali.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/17-indicators-the-red-cabbage-rainbow/5/)
- [Universal indicator mixes several dyes, so each pH gets its own colour, a whole rainbow from red to purple.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/17-indicators-the-red-cabbage-rainbow/6/)
- [An indicator is a substance whose colour shows whether something is acidic or alkaline.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/17-indicators-the-red-cabbage-rainbow/8/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «indicator» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.