sign
a token or indication; a piece of evidence: The smoke curling from the chimney was a sign that someone was in the cabin.
any object, action, event, pattern, etc., that is taken as conveying a meaning: I took her silence and fidgeting as a sign of disagreement.Rising sales of disaster survival kits are a sign of the times.
a conventional or arbitrary mark, figure, or symbol used as an abbreviation for the word or words it represents.
a motion or gesture used to express or convey an idea, command, decision, etc.: Her nod was a sign that it was time to leave.
a notice, bearing a name, direction, warning, or advertisement, that is displayed or posted for public view: a traffic sign;a store sign.
a trace; vestige: There wasn't a sign of them.
an arbitrary or conventional symbol used in musical notation to indicate tonality, tempo, etc.
Medicine/Medical. the objective indications of a disease.
any meaningful gestural unit belonging to a sign language.
an omen; portent: The general unrest was a sign of the approaching revolution.
Usually signs. traces, such as footprints or scat, of a wild animal.
Mathematics.
a plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating addition or subtraction.
a plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating the positive or negative value of a quantity, as an integer.
a symbol, as or !, used to indicate a radical or factorial operation.
to affix a signature to: to sign a letter.
to write as a signature: to sign one's name.
to engage by written agreement: to sign a new player.
to mark with a sign, especially the sign of the cross.
to communicate by means of a sign; signal: He signed his wish to leave.
to convey (a message) in a sign language.
Obsolete. to direct or appoint by a sign.
to write one's signature, as a token of agreement, obligation, receipt, etc.: to sign for a package.
to make a sign or signal: He signed to her to go away.
to employ a sign language for communication.
to obligate oneself by signature: He signed with another team for the next season.
sign away / over to assign or dispose of by affixing one's signature to a document: She signed over her fortune to the church.
sign in, to record or authorize one's arrival (or departure) by signing a register.: Also sign out.
sign off,
to withdraw, as from some responsibility or connection.
to cease radio or television broadcasting, especially at the end of the day.
Informal. to become silent: He had exhausted conversation topics and signed off.
to indicate one's approval explicitly if not formally: The president is expected to sign off on the new agreement.
sign on,
to employ; hire.
to bind oneself to work, as by signing a contract: He signed on as a pitcher with a major-league team.
to start radio or television broadcasting, especially at the beginning of the day.
Computers. log1 (def. 18a).
sign up, to enlist, as in an organization or group; to register or subscribe: to sign up for the navy;to sign up for class.
Origin of sign
1synonym study For sign
Other words for sign
Other words from sign
- sign·less, adjective
- sign·like, adjective
- post·sign, verb (used with object)
- un·signed, adjective
Words that may be confused with sign
- sign , sing
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use sign in a sentence
Although coronavirus cases have been rising in Virginia all fall, leading Northam to tighten certain restrictions on businesses and private gatherings, the economy has shown signs of improvement.
Feds cut extended unemployment benefits in Virginia as state’s economy improves | Laura Vozzella | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostAmes believed those 600 turkeys weren’t just another meal, but a sign of stability for families that had little of it in the past eight months.
‘Can’t eat a gift card’: Rural food banks fight to put turkeys on the table | Kyle Swenson | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostThat’s another sign that stocks in other industries could enjoy a prolonged spell in the sunshine as the global economy gets healthier.
Mason and colleagues looked for signs of species diversity hidden in the genetic makeup of colugos, a task that required samples of colugo DNA from across Southeast Asia.
On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops | Yao-Hua Law | November 20, 2020 | Science NewsThe Bucks also agreed with the Sacramento Kings Monday on a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic, but the veteran guard has yet to sign off on the deal by Wednesday, according to multiple people with knowledge of the evolving situation.
NBA free agency tracker (plus trades): Warriors acquire Kelly Oubre; 76ers trade Al Horford to Thunder | Ben Golliver | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
A declaration of candidacy signed by Cuomo was in the trunk of his car.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82 | Eleanor Clift | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIn fact, by the end of 2014, it passed over 220 bills, which were signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive | Ben Jacobs | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 2007, President Bush signed a law that required all Head Start grantees to be evaluated using an evidence-based system.
Can the U.S. Government Go Moneyball? | Peter Orszag, Jim Nussle | December 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd now the Chinese courts have effectively signed their name to it.
Craig is signed on for just one more Bond flick after Spectre.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Reveal Studio Head Wants Idris Elba For the Next James Bond | William Boot | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA tall phantom in livery appeared, as if by magic, and signed to me to ascend the grand staircase.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FaySome were inquisitive enough to ask, Has a treaty been signed or a trick been played upon the rebels?
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanEach entry on the vault record book shall be signed by the persons having access to the safe.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur Phillips“Chaplet”—a wreath or garland signed for by him in his ambitious hopes—expresses his birth-date by Con.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)They were taken to the quarters of the general-in-chief in command, and it was he himself who signed their condemnation.
British Dictionary definitions for sign
/ (saɪn) /
something that indicates or acts as a token of a fact, condition, etc, that is not immediately or outwardly observable
an action or gesture intended to convey information, a command, etc
a board, placard, etc, displayed in public and inscribed with words or designs intended to inform, warn, etc
(as modifier): a sign painter
an arbitrary or conventional mark or device that stands for a word, phrase, etc
maths logic
any symbol indicating an operation: a plus sign; an implication sign
the positivity or negativity of a number, quantity, or expression: subtraction from zero changes the sign of an expression
an indication or vestige: the house showed no signs of being occupied
a portentous or significant event
an indication, such as a scent or spoor, of the presence of an animal
med any objective evidence of the presence of a disease or disorder: Compare symptom (def. 1)
astrology Compare sign of the zodiac
to write (one's name) as a signature to (a document, etc) in attestation, confirmation, ratification, etc
(intr often foll by to) to make a sign; signal
to engage or be engaged by written agreement, as a player for a team, etc
(tr) to outline in gestures a sign over, esp the sign of the cross
(tr) to indicate by or as if by a sign; betoken
(intr) to use sign language
Origin of sign
1Derived forms of sign
- signable, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for sign
[ sīn ]
A body manifestation, usually detected on physical examination or through laboratory tests or xrays, that indicates the presence of abnormality or disease. Compare symptom.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with sign
In addition to the idioms beginning with sign
- sign in
- sign off
- sign on
- sign one's own death warrant
- sign on the dotted line
- sign out
- sign over
- sign up
, see
- high sign
- show signs of
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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