Definition of "personify" [per•son•i•fy]

• To think of or represent (an inanimate object or abstraction) as having personality or the qualities, thoughts, or movements of a living being: "To make history or psychology alive I personify it” ( Anaïs Nin). (verb-transitive)
• To represent (an object or abstraction) by a human figure. (verb-transitive)
• To represent (an abstract quality or idea): This character personifies evil. (verb-transitive)
• To be the embodiment or perfect example of: "Stalin now personified bolshevism in the eyes of the world” ( A.J.P. Taylor). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Mr. Polshek said he had been preparing for his transition out of the firm for years and had seen firsthand the downside of having one name personify a practice."
• "Steve: it is quote common to personify firms this way in the English language to refer to the owners and/or managers of thefirm."
• "Steve says: it is quote common to personify firms this way in the English language to refer to the owners and/or managers of thefirm."