countersign

[ noun, verb koun-ter-sahyn; verb also koun-ter-sahyn ]
See synonyms for countersign on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a sign used in reply to another sign.

  2. Military. a secret sign that must be given by authorized persons seeking admission through a guarded area.

  1. a signature added to another signature, especially for authentication.

verb (used with object)
  1. to sign (a document that has been signed by someone else), especially in confirmation or authentication.

Origin of countersign

1
1585–95; counter- + sign, modeled on Middle French contresigne, or its source, Old Italian contrasegno

Words Nearby countersign

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use countersign in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for countersign

countersign

verb(ˈkaʊntəˌsaɪn, ˌkaʊntəˈsaɪn)
  1. (tr) to sign (a document already signed by another)

noun(ˈkaʊntəˌsaɪn)
  1. Also called: countersignature the signature so written

  2. a secret sign given in response to another sign

  1. mainly military a password

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012