sign-off
noun
the act or fact of signing off.
sign-off
American
[sahyn-awf, -of]
/ ˈsaɪnˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
Or
signoff
noun
-
the act or fact of signing off.
-
personal approval or authorization; endorsement.
sign off
British
verb
-
(intr) to announce the end of a radio or television programme, esp at the end of a day
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(intr) bridge to make a conventional bid indicating to one's partner that one wishes the bidding to stop
-
(tr) to withdraw or retire from (an activity)
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(tr) (of a doctor) to declare (someone) unfit for work, because of illness
-
(intr) to terminate one's claim to unemployment benefit
sign off
Idioms
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Announce the end of a communication, especially a broadcast. For example, There's no one there now; the station has signed off for the night . [c. 1920]
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Stop talking, become silent, as in Every time the subject of marriage came up, Harold signed off . [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]
-
Express approval formally or conclusively, as in The President got the majority leader to sign off on the tax proposal . This usage is colloquial.
Etymology
Origin of sign-off
First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase sign off
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:
"I understand there's been a sign-off, but I don't know what they agreed," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Almost all of the Z4’s components—from controls to the use of previous-generation engines on its demonstrator—are taken from existing planes, meaning they have already obtained sign-off from the Federal Aviation Administration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The company is pursuing a $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. that requires sign-off from Trump’s own Justice Department.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
US sources had told AFP the deal was waiting on Trump's sign-off, but the president had made no decision after a two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room on Friday in Washington.
From Barron's ● May 30, 2026
This was always her sign-off line when I was alone and on the loose in sunny California.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Auditors sign off on the financial data in companies’ annual reports and carry out less rigorous reviews of their quarterly earnings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
After sign off from Prime Minister Andy Burnham's de facto deputy Louise Haigh, the alert was sent at 19:00 on 14 August.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
After a project is complete, actors must sign off and be paid the equivalent of an in-person performance if their replica is used.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
Asked by reporters if he would sign off on the opposition's bill, Premier Cho Jung-tai, who heads the Cabinet, said his focus was on national security.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Thanks, Jim. Got to sign off now, here come Shorty and Jerry G.”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
