diff --git a/basis/functors/functors-tests.factor b/basis/functors/functors-tests.factor
index 37ec1d3e15..b500d9f5ca 100644
--- a/basis/functors/functors-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/functors/functors-tests.factor
@@ -63,6 +63,24 @@ WHERE
 
 [ 4 ] [ 1 3 blah ] unit-test
 
+<<
+
+FUNCTOR: symbol-test ( W -- )
+
+W DEFINES ${W}
+
+WHERE
+
+SYMBOL: W
+
+;FUNCTOR
+
+"blorgh" symbol-test
+
+>>
+
+[ blorgh ] [ blorgh ] unit-test
+
 GENERIC: some-generic ( a -- b )
 
 ! Does replacing an ordinary word with a functor-generated one work?
@@ -72,6 +90,7 @@ GENERIC: some-generic ( a -- b )
     TUPLE: some-tuple ;
     : some-word ( -- ) ;
     M: some-tuple some-generic ;
+    SYMBOL: some-symbol
     "> <string-reader> "functors-test" parse-stream
 ] unit-test
 
@@ -82,6 +101,7 @@ GENERIC: some-generic ( a -- b )
         "some-tuple" "functors.tests" lookup
         "some-generic" "functors.tests" lookup method >boolean
     ] unit-test ;
+    [ t ] [ "some-symbol" "functors.tests" lookup >boolean ] unit-test
 
 test-redefinition
 
@@ -90,12 +110,14 @@ FUNCTOR: redefine-test ( W -- )
 W-word DEFINES ${W}-word
 W-tuple DEFINES-CLASS ${W}-tuple
 W-generic IS ${W}-generic
+W-symbol DEFINES ${W}-symbol
 
 WHERE
 
 TUPLE: W-tuple ;
 : W-word ( -- ) ;
 M: W-tuple W-generic ;
+SYMBOL: W-symbol
 
 ;FUNCTOR
 
@@ -105,4 +127,5 @@ M: W-tuple W-generic ;
     "> <string-reader> "functors-test" parse-stream
 ] unit-test
 
-test-redefinition
\ No newline at end of file
+test-redefinition
+
diff --git a/basis/functors/functors.factor b/basis/functors/functors.factor
index 309154fb49..fc502a5695 100644
--- a/basis/functors/functors.factor
+++ b/basis/functors/functors.factor
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ words interpolate namespaces sequences io.streams.string fry
 classes.mixin effects lexer parser classes.tuple.parser
 effects.parser locals.types locals.parser generic.parser
 locals.rewrite.closures vocabs.parser classes.parser
-arrays accessors ;
+arrays accessors words.symbol ;
 IN: functors
 
 ! This is a hack
@@ -80,6 +80,10 @@ SYNTAX: `:
     parse-declared*
     \ define-declared* parsed ;
 
+SYNTAX: `SYMBOL:
+    scan-param parsed
+    \ define-symbol parsed ;
+
 SYNTAX: `SYNTAX:
     scan-param parsed
     parse-definition*
@@ -116,6 +120,7 @@ DEFER: ;FUNCTOR delimiter
         { ":" POSTPONE: `: }
         { "INSTANCE:" POSTPONE: `INSTANCE: }
         { "SYNTAX:" POSTPONE: `SYNTAX: }
+        { "SYMBOL:" POSTPONE: `SYMBOL: }
         { "inline" POSTPONE: `inline }
     } ;