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
The convergence of these signs lit Morris up like a firecracker.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’ | Asawin Suebsaeng | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAbsent a body, no one can say with absolute certainty whether Castro is dead, even if all signs point in that direction.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro | Bill Conroy | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTExtra security was also set up along the lines to monitor other signs of potential sabotage.
And even as the bloody siege continues, so, too, do signs of life.
“At the moment there are no signs of damage,” Marino told The Daily Beast.
He saw with evident pleasure the outward and visible signs of the old earl's immense wealth.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsI cannot see in science, nor in experience, nor in history any signs of such a God, nor of such intervention.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordThe culture of expression is a very different thing from the artful imitation of the signs of feeling and purpose.
Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge SouthwickIts continued presence in pulmonary tuberculosis is, however, a grave prognostic sign, even when the physical signs are slight.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddChief and most musical among these signs were the almost forgotten sounds of dropping water, and tinkling rills.
The Giant of the North | R.M. Ballantyne
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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