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American Sign Language
American Sign Languagenouna visual-gesture language, having its own semantic and syntactic structure, used by deaf people in the U.S. and English-speaking parts of Canada. ASL
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American sign language
American Sign Language
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of American Sign Language
First recorded in 1960–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Her father, Joshua Hottle, first shared news of her death in American Sign Language in a tearful video posted to Facebook.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Her father, Joshua Hottle, posted a video statement via Facebook, using American Sign Language to confirm details of her death.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The children were thriving, learning American Sign Language and unbothered by their deafness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
In a statement, an unidentified senior Department of Homeland Security official said medical staff provided Diaz “with a communications board and an American Sign Language interpreter.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2025
Ever since I met her, we’ve been communicating primarily through American Sign Language.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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Four of those killed belonged to the deaf community, Sauschuck said, asking television cameras to include the American sign language interpreter at the press conference in their frames.
From Reuters ● Oct. 28, 2023
Actress Sandra Mae Frank performed both “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful” in American sign language.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2022
But the school is international baccalaureate certified, offers 29 A.P. courses and has American sign language, which excited Isabella.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
No new studies are starting, and the chimpanzees and orangutans taught American sign language in the 70s are nearing the end of their lives.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 14, 2016
Once, during a John Lee Hooker show, Lebrun began projecting a giant image of a Native American chief in full headdress demonstrating Native American sign language while Hooker played "Born Under a Bad Sign."
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2014
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.