sign
Americannoun
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signs
plural
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an indication or piece of evidence.
The smoke curling from the chimney was a sign that someone was in the cabin.
- Synonyms:
- signal, suggestion, hint, trace
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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.
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a conventional or arbitrary mark, figure, or symbol used as an abbreviation for the word or words it represents.
The dollar sign ($) can be found on your keyboard above the numeral 4.
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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.
- Synonyms:
- signal
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a notice, bearing a name, direction, warning, or advertisement, that is displayed or posted for public view.
a traffic sign;
a store sign.
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a trace; vestige.
I looked in my car for your glasses, but there was no sign of them.
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an arbitrary or conventional symbol used in musical notation to indicate tonality, tempo, etc..
Notice the repeat sign at the end of that bar.
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Medicine/Medical. the objective indications of a disease.
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any meaningful gestural unit belonging to a sign language.
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an omen; portent.
The general unrest was a sign of the approaching revolution.
- Synonyms:
- augury, hint, indication
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Usually signs. traces, such as footprints or scat, of a wild animal.
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Mathematics.
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a plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating addition or subtraction.
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a plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating the positive or negative value of a quantity, as an integer.
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a symbol, such as or !, used to indicate a radical or factorial operation.
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Semiotics. a symbol, object, or action together with the meaning given to it.
verb (used with object)
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signs,
present (3rd person singular)
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signed,
past participle, past
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signing
present participle
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to affix a signature to.
to sign a letter.
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to write as a signature.
to sign one's name.
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to engage or hire by a written agreement.
to sign a new player.
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to mark with a sign, especially the sign of the cross.
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to communicate by means of a sign; signal.
He signed his wish to leave by an impatient wave of his hand.
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to convey (a message) in a sign language.
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Obsolete. to direct or appoint by a sign.
verb (used without object)
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signs,
present (3rd person singular)
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signed,
past participle, past
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signing
present participle
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to write one's signature as an expression of agreement, obligation, receipt, etc..
Someone will have to be here to sign for the package.
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to communicate by a gesture or signal.
He signed to her to go away.
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to employ a sign language for communication.
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to indicate one’s acceptance of a contract by a signature.
He signed with another team for the next season.
verb phrase
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sign off
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to indicate one's approval.
The president is expected to sign off on the new agreement.
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to cease radio or television broadcasting, especially at the end of the day.
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to withdraw from a responsibility or connection.
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Informal. to end a conversation, especially on the phone or online.
It's been good talking to you—I'm going to sign off and get back to work.
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sign in
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to record or authorize one's arrival by providing one's name and other requested information on a register, website, or digital device.
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Digital Technology. to log in to an account on a device or website by entering one’s identifying information.
Go to the Members page and sign in with your username and password.
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sign on
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to engage (a worker, client, etc.) by a contract.
We’ve signed on three new retailers to distribute the product.
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to commit oneself to a job or other activity by signing a contract.
He signed on as a pitcher with a major-league team.
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to start radio or television broadcasting, especially at the beginning of the day.
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Digital Technology. to log in to an account on a device or website by entering one’s identifying information.
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to express agreement or cooperation.
It looks like both party leaders have signed on to the interest group's agenda.
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sign away / over to assign or dispose of by affixing one's signature to a document.
She signed over her fortune to the church.
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sign up to enlist, as in an organization or group; to register or subscribe.
to sign up for the navy;
to sign up for a class.
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sign out
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to record or authorize one’s departure by providing one's name and other requested information on a register, website, or digital device.
Residents of the halfway house must sign out at the office when leaving.
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to record that one is borrowing (a tool, file, book, etc.) by providing one's name and other requested information on a register, website, or digital device.
We can sign out one of the canoes for a few hours and go exploring.
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Digital Technology. to log out of an account on a device or website.
If using a library computer, be sure to sign out at the end of your session.
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noun
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something that indicates or acts as a token of a fact, condition, etc, that is not immediately or outwardly observable
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an action or gesture intended to convey information, a command, etc
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a board, placard, etc, displayed in public and inscribed with words or designs intended to inform, warn, etc
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( as modifier )
a sign painter
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an arbitrary or conventional mark or device that stands for a word, phrase, etc
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maths logic
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any symbol indicating an operation
a plus sign
an implication sign
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the positivity or negativity of a number, quantity, or expression
subtraction from zero changes the sign of an expression
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an indication or vestige
the house showed no signs of being occupied
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a portentous or significant event
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an indication, such as a scent or spoor, of the presence of an animal
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med any objective evidence of the presence of a disease or disorder Compare symptom
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astrology Compare sign of the zodiac
verb
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to write (one's name) as a signature to (a document, etc) in attestation, confirmation, ratification, etc
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to make a sign; signal
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to engage or be engaged by written agreement, as a player for a team, etc
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(tr) to outline in gestures a sign over, esp the sign of the cross
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(tr) to indicate by or as if by a sign; betoken
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(intr) to use sign language
Synonym Usage
Sign, omen, portent name that which gives evidence of a future event. Sign is a general word for whatever gives evidence of an event—past, present, or future: Dark clouds are a sign of rain or snow. An omen is an augury or warning of things to come; it is used only of the future, in general, as good or bad: birds of evil omen. Portent, limited, like omen, to prophecy of the future, may be used of a specific event, usually a misfortune: portents of war.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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postsignverb (used with object)
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signableadjective
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signlessadjective
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signlikeadjective
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unsignedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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signsimple
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signssimple
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have signedperfect
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has signedperfect
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am signingprogressive
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are signingprogressive
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is signingprogressive
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have been signingperfect progressive
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has been signingperfect progressive
Past
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signedsimple
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had signedperfect
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was signingprogressive
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were signingprogressive
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had been signingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sign
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun signe, sign, from Old French and Latin signum “mark, sign, ensign, signal, image”; verb ultimately from the noun
Explanation
A sign is a clue something happened, or a display that communicates a message, like a stop sign that tells you stop. To sign also means to write your signature. The word sign has many senses, but in a general, it usually has something to say. It may be a symptom that tells about a problem, or it may just be a symbol, like the plus and minus signs in math. Sign language uses hand signals to represent words and letters. And if thunder rumbles whenever you open that book, you may take it as a sign not to read it.
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:
Maybe you've come across a sign like this before.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Prize money was roughly half this week compared to previous events, and that is a sign of things to come.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
You can sign up to have it waiting in your inbox.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
While the Belgian-French chemical company’s soda ash business has limited growth prospects and seaborne soda ash shows no sign of recovery, the company could potentially profit from rare earths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
There were few streetlamps here, spread far apart, but the hulking sign planted on the hill blinked brightly, first HOLLY, then WOOD, then LAND, before it started all over again.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
"I tell them they need to get ready and that if they show no signs, we'll be able to release them," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Turtle said Dragonfly will be looking for signs of earthquakes or volcanoes that might allow hydrocarbons like methane to move between the surface and the ice-covered ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Ranchers sold off their herds after years of drought and poor financial conditions following the pandemic and have so far shown few signs of expanding their operations to previous levels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The coroner's office in Greenville, South Carolina said crews treated a woman in "cardiac arrest" and her autopsy showed "no signs of trauma".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
She points out places on the road signs where she’s either visited or stayed for a while.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
That was a day after the president signed an interim peace deal in Versailles, France, to end the conflict with Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Joshua and his promoter Hearn have signed a contract for it to be staged in the United Kingdom, while Saudi organisers Sela are pushing for a move to the United States.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
The judge wrote that GEO Group’s contract with ICE “plausibly” requires the company to follow only state laws that existed when the contract was signed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
In January, he signed a preliminary agreement with China, providing for the import of electric vehicles to Canada.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
A card, signed by Leah and Maggie, was inserted in the Commercial Advertiser, one day after the doctors’ letter appeared.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Last week, BBC Sport revealed Arsenal were in talks with Villa about signing Konsa, but the clubs disagreed on his valuation.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Most parents signing the acceptable-use form have no idea.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Cloverleaf’s specialty is signing power agreements with utilities so that developers can build on land with access to reliable power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Ownership decisions also can lead to signing or retaining star players as teams hope to contend for championships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
I talked that officer into signing him up.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
