sign language
Americannoun
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Also called sign. any of several visual-gestural systems of communication, especially employing manual gestures, as used among deaf people.
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any means of communication, as between speakers of different languages, using gestures.
noun
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another word for signing
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any system of communication by manual signs or gestures
Etymology
Origin of sign language
First recorded in 1840–50
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.
There was also the sign language with Kimiko, and the connection.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
The Republic of Ireland passed legislation in 2017, providing for the recognition of Irish Sign Language, its use in legal proceedings and the provision of interpretation into sign language by public bodies.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
The act also created a duty for the government to report on progress towards greater promotion and use of sign language in government communication with the public.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Think sign language for people who can hear.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026
The girl couldn’t talk, couldn’t communicate at all except in the inadequate sign language she had invented—a language even her mother only half-understood.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
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.
