sign-off

American  

[sahyn-awf, -of] / ˈsaɪnˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

Or signoff

noun

1. the act or fact of signing off.

2. personal approval or authorization; endorsement.

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sign off British  

verb

1. (intr) to announce the end of a radio or television programme, esp at the end of a day

2. (intr) bridge to make a conventional bid indicating to one's partner that one wishes the bidding to stop

3. (tr) to withdraw or retire from (an activity)

4. (tr) (of a doctor) to declare (someone) unfit for work, because of illness

5. (intr) to terminate one's claim to unemployment benefit

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sign off Idioms  

1. 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]

2. Stop talking, become silent, as in Every time the subject of marriage came up, Harold signed off . [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]

3. Express approval formally or conclusively, as in The President got the majority leader to sign off on the tax proposal . This usage is colloquial.

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Etymology

Origin of sign-off

First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase sign off

Example Sentences

Regardless, without the administration’s sign-off, the Nexstar-Tegna deal would undoubtedly have failed to go through.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

A key distinction between administrative subpoenas and civil or criminal ones is that federal agencies do not need a judge’s sign-off.

From Slate • Feb. 5, 2026

The acting director of the CDC has the final sign-off on the recommendation.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

Swift used an interpolation of Michael’s song in her track of the same name — with a gleeful sign-off from the late singer’s estate.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025

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

Related Words

• break
• cease
• close
• drop
• end
• halt
• hold
• kill
• pause
• put an end to
• quit
• stall
• stand
• stay