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Ok, see this sentence "London is known for Big Ben".

So, does the idiom "to be known for" mean "to be well-known for" or "to be famous for".

Like "London is known (famous) for Big Ben"?

I could not see any website say that "to be known for" = "to be famous for"

What does the idiom "to be known for" mean?

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  • Yes, "to be well-known for" is exactly what it means. (And as soon as I can find a source other than "I'm a native English speaker," I'll include it.)
    – SomethingDark
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 4:43
  • See also renowned for.
    – stevesliva
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 4:56

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You have to get yourself familiarized with the preposition, for. As you can see in Merriam-Webster, "for" means "because of" that explains the reason for a verb or an adjective.

London is known for Big Ben. = London is known because of Big Ben. London is famous (renowned) for Big Ben. = London is famous (renowned) because of Big Ben.

Known/renowned/famous are synonyms.

"For" is one of the most important prepositions and conjunctions. It has many crucial meanings you have to learn to better your English.

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  • 'Known' might also suggest 'infamous', so I'd be a bit reluctant to call them synonyms.
    – JHCL
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 9:08
  • @JHCL Fair point.But sometimes famous is also used for infamous or notorious. Editors for the dictionaries must be aware of this
    – user140086
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 9:31

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