signal
Americannoun
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signals
plural
-
anything that serves to indicate, warn, direct, command, or the like, such as a light, a gesture, an act, etc.: a signal to leave.
a traffic signal;
a signal to leave.
- Synonyms:
- sign
-
anything agreed upon or understood as the occasion for concerted action.
-
an act, event, or the like that causes or incites some action.
The unjust execution was the signal for revolt.
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a token; indication.
- Synonyms:
- sign
-
Electronics. an electrical quantity or effect, as current, voltage, or electromagnetic waves, that can be varied in such a way as to convey information.
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Cards. a play that reveals to one's partner a wish that they continue or discontinue the suit led.
adjective
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serving as a token or indication; used in communiating an intention, warning, or command.
a signal flag.
-
unusual; notable; outstanding.
a signal exploit.
- Synonyms:
- striking, remarkable, exceptional, unique
verb (used with object)
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signals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
signaled,
past participle, past
-
signalled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
signaling,
present participle
-
signalling
present participle (especially British)
-
to make a token or indication to.
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to communicate or make known by a token or indication.
verb (used without object)
-
signals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
signaled,
past participle, past
-
signalled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
signaling,
present participle
-
signalling
present participle (especially British)
noun
-
any sign, gesture, token, etc, that serves to communicate information
-
anything that acts as an incitement to action
the rise in prices was a signal for rebellion
-
-
a variable parameter, such as a current or electromagnetic wave, by which information is conveyed through an electronic circuit, communications system, etc
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the information so conveyed
-
( as modifier )
signal strength
a signal generator
-
adjective
-
distinguished or conspicuous
-
used to give or act as a signal
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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presignalnoun
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signalernoun
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signallernoun
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resignalverb
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unsignaledadjective
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unsignalledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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signalsimple
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signalssimple
-
have signaledperfect
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have signalledperfect
-
has signaledperfect
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has signalledperfect
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am signalingprogressive
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am signallingprogressive
-
are signalingprogressive
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are signallingprogressive
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is signalingprogressive
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is signallingprogressive
-
have been signalingperfect progressive
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have been signallingperfect progressive
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has been signalingperfect progressive
-
has been signallingperfect progressive
Past
-
signaledsimple
-
signalledsimple
-
had signaledperfect
-
had signalledperfect
-
was signalingprogressive
-
was signallingprogressive
-
were signalingprogressive
-
were signallingprogressive
-
had been signalingperfect progressive
-
had been signallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of signal
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun from Old French seignal, signal, from Medieval Latin signāle, Late Latin, noun use of neuter of signālis “of a sign”; see sign, -al 2, -al 1
Explanation
A signal is a gesture or message that people use to communicate with each other. The wave you give a good friend to call her over from across the room and the impulse that transmits your voice through the telephone to your mother are both signals. In the course of a single day, you probably send and receive thousands of different signals. When you want to cross the street, you wait for the green light — a signal that it's safe to cross. If you're in a relationship and you're not sure whether you like the person you're dating, you could be sending mixed signals — first acting like you're interested, and then acting uninterested. If your date finally gets tired of your mixed signals while you're at a restaurant, you'll need to signal to your server that it's time for the check.
Vocabulary lists containing signal
Baseball: A Lexicon
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Words for the World Series
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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:
Never exactly its strong suit, the exterior gets a makeover with the revised front end, incorporating a transverse lightbar between the sidemarker/turn signal assemblies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Pezeshkian also defended a memorandum of understanding agreed with the US in June aimed at ending the war, claiming it did not signal a defeat for Tehran.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
The team then used metabolomic analysis to search for molecules that might be carrying this signal.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
The mayor’s office said the plans would include protected bike lanes without the elimination of lanes and would “implement signal modifications to increase safety.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Over his shoulder, Jonah gave him the thumbs-up signal.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"But it's not really solving the structural problem. It's a sign of kindness. I would say all these are signals of kindness."
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Using those results, the researchers developed a computational model that separated signals coming from different areas of the brain and revealed how the frontoparietal cortex brought that information together.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Treasury Department signals its willingness to intervene after yields hit nearly two-decade highs,
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Nestlé is looking for signals across markets, not deciding what one particular shopper should eat at 2 a.m.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Electronic signals were sent back and forth between Crusher and the Juggernaut.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
They signaled as much this offseason by trading away two-time defensive player of the year Myles Garrett, who set the single-season sack record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Pyongyang quietly signaled its openness, U.S. officials said, but the logistics were too tough to organize on short notice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
A California federal judge on Thursday signaled that she is likely to order immigration agents to stop arresting people without warrants unless they determine they are likely to escape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Morgan analyst Joseph Cardoso noted that Lumentum’s management signaled that there are opportunities in the pipeline around lasers and other optical equipment that largely aren’t yet factored into the company’s broader financial targets.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Gran signaled to the Witchlings, and they walked over to her podium.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
The two rival leaders first met in December, when they signalled a fresh commitment to reviving the long-stalled peace process in the presence of Guterres's envoy Maria Angela Holguin.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The bigger question is whether Burnham is likely to follow through with some of the more expensive policies he's previously signalled, including reforming social care or expanding council house building.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Maduro's attorney Barry Pollack signalled that he will argue at trial that his client was protected by sovereign immunity, a legal principle shielding heads of state from prosecution.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Burnham became Britain's seventh prime minister in just over a decade Monday and signalled a new left-ward direction for the Labour government during his first speech outside No. 10.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Educated Englishmen could read it; by using it, Bruno signalled that he was addressing himself to poets and courtiers, not to professors of mathematics or philosophy.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
According to the study, this protection depended on IL-10 signaling.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
After 30-year Treasury yields jumped to multiyear highs earlier this week, investors are reading the unexpected intervention as a move to reassure the market by signaling the Treasury’s willingness to support under-fire debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Part of it is signaling here, and to show that we believe that the yields don’t reflect the underlying fundamentals.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
IL-2 is a potent immune signaling molecule that activates T cells involved in attacking cancer.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
It is bridged by signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
“The threat is not limited to superficial damage or coercive signalling but now carries a direct and substantial risk to seafarers,” said Dimitris Maniatis, Marisks’s founder and chief executive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
In April, the company launched its "Verified by Spotify" badge, signalling that a profile has been reviewed and meets its authenticity standard.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Friday's data will also pose a question to the US Federal Reserve, which has been signalling it was preparing for a rate hike later this year.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Because signalling was affected - think of that as the traffic lights of the railway - trains had to stop.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
With her right hand raised overhead, she was frantically signalling to someone—her child, perhaps, or her husband, or possibly the viewer—to drop everything and hurry over.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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.
