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:
On Wall Street, that kind of signal — not falling on bad news — can be read as a sign of underlying strength.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
After three plays that managed just a single yard, the Eagles were forced to punt, and it was a sign of a troubling trend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
"No means, no silence," read one cardboard sign outside the Turgot high school.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
"The sign by Millennium Lake was aimed at other people, just to take away the free for all for everyone else," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Emotional response is difficult to measure, but there is one usually reliable sign of how you are feeling—sweaty palms.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
If Israel points to security lapses publicly, or shuts the flights for an extended period of time, this will be read by other airlines as signs that Dubai airport isn’t safe.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Phase I trials generally focus heavily on safety and determining an appropriate dose, while Phase II studies begin looking more closely for signs that a treatment may provide a clinical benefit.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Aston Martin finally showed some signs of life and Alonso made sure to capitalise.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Two journalists settled onto barstools beneath signs for pilsners and cherry sours.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Wolf went first, Torak next, scanning for signs, and Renn last, straining to see through the trees.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
On the same day, the president also signed an executive order to rename AI as "super intelligence", after previously saying the word artificial made the technology sound "fake".
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
He’s signed for two more seasons, and the Chargers would owe him more than $30 million were they to part ways with him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
The pact signed on 29 September includes the signatures of executives from top tech firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Google.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
First they signed Kylian Mbappé to lead a push into the soccer business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 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
Three years before becoming Chelsea's £117m club-record signing, Morgan Rogers watched his value fall to just £1m and questioned whether he would make it at all.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
But Newsom did highlight the environment in his final bill signing of the session, which he announced at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge on Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Of that, $110 million came from a June 2025 stock-option grant tied to signing a new contract, and $11 million from a “supplemental” grant of restricted shares the prior March.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
"You don't negotiate after signing a contract. You negotiate before," added Khelef Khalifa, of the Muslims for Human Rights NGO.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
It was the fourth and final hearing, and we had come back into the small hut for the signing of the procès-verbal.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
