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
-
(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:
The final decision on his appointment still requires the normal pre-employment checks and sign-off from full council, which is due to meet next week.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 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
But the federal sign-off does not end the deal's legal peril.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
The acquisition still requires sign-off from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the Minister of Finance, but Holden says this shouldn’t derail an end-of-year closing timeline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
She used Immie’s favorite words, her slang, her sign-off, her “kind ofs” and “maybes.”
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
Speaking at an event in Lagos on Monday to sign off on the paperwork, Dangote said raising money was only part of a bigger plan.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Perhaps that was the perfect way to sign off, but the Croke Park itch had to be scratched and while those gates seemed destined to remain locked, Taylor's status made it happen.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 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
Wolf Pen acts independently from Brown-Forman, but it would have to sign off on any kind of deal and, therefore, has the power to block them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
I have to have the supervisor guy sign off on each day of my community service.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
