What does rebus mean?
A rebus is a visual puzzle that communicates a word or phrase through pictures, symbols, or deliberately arranged letters. For example, a picture of a man beside a cycle might represent “man overboard,” while a cycle repeated three times could suggest “tricycle.” Rebuses commonly appear in children's puzzles, puzzle books, newspapers, advertising, and social-media challenges. Their appeal lies in making the reader interpret images creatively before identifying the intended expression. The term can refer either to the puzzle itself or to the word or phrase represented by it, so context determines which meaning is intended. Although related to dingbats, a rebus is especially associated with pictorial representation rather than solely with unusual typography or word arrangement. Mastering rebuses exercises visual literacy, pattern recognition, and wordplay, making the form both entertaining and useful for teaching vocabulary, spelling, and idiomatic expressions.
A visual puzzle in which pictures, symbols, or the arrangement of letters represents a word, phrase, proverb, or other expression; also, the expression represented in this way.
"The class had to guess the film title represented by each rebus."
The word can denote either the puzzle or the word or phrase encoded by it.
To express a word, phrase, or idea by means of a rebus.
"The designer rebussed the company motto as a sequence of simple images."
This verb use is uncommon compared with the familiar noun.
The usual plural for individual rebus puzzles or represented expressions.
"The magazine published a series of festive rebuses for readers to solve."
Three bicycles in a row can say 'tricycle' without using a single word—that is the enduring charm of a rebus.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rebus come from?
The English word comes through French rébus from Latin rebus, the ablative singular of res, meaning “thing.” The French term originally conveyed the idea of things interpreted pictorially and entered English in the early 17th century. Modern cognates such as result, residue, resign, and resurge independently continue the same Latin root res, although their meanings have developed in different ways.
Related word forms
How rebus is actually used
As a noun, rebus is standard in general English and is especially associated with puzzles, games, and educational exercises. As a verb, it is comparatively uncommon and means to express something by means of a rebus.
Easily confused with rebus
A dingbat is a puzzle made from the arrangement of words, letters, or symbols, whereas a rebus more specifically uses pictures or visual elements to represent a word or phrase.