signal
Americannoun
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signals
plural
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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.
-
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
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has signaledperfect
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has signalledperfect
-
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
-
have been signallingperfect progressive
-
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:
Rather than signal the end of LIV, though, the move is designed to help the league move into the future without Saudi funding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
It was a blaring signal of defiance and a remarkable diplomatic escalation.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
What’s less clear is whether its president, Christine Lagarde, will signal even more restrictive policy in the months to come or whether she will tack a more cautious, non-committal course.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
GRAIL’s Galleri test looks for methylation patterns in DNA that may indicate a cancer signal and predict where it originated.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
The radio signal emitted from the collar can be tracked.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
Growth stocks have been down for months, but there are signals that it’s time for them to move higher again.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
These receptors sit on the surface of cells and help them respond to signals from their surroundings.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
The British Heart Foundation explains, external a cardiac arrhythmia ablation involves using heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in the heart to block faulty signals and restore a typical heartbeat.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Much of what happens next for the yen will depend on U.S. inflation data due this week and how markets interpret any new signals from either central bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
With this, the Coast Guard could pick up weak signals that others missed.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Zhao also signaled confidence in the company’s technological progress, saying some of its products are now capable of competing with those of leading global memory makers in terms of performance, quality and supply stability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
But Ohtani’s swings and body language Wednesday signaled that something was clearly wrong, affecting Ohtani’s play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
U.S. stocks were mixed after Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh signaled the central bank may not be done fighting inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The official signaled Bessent will make direct appeals to counterparts in bilateral meetings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Mamá caught my eye and signaled for me not to argue.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
But with Tehran and Washington now seemingly at an impasse, Isabel Schnabel and Joachim Nagel -- both members of the ECB's rate-setting governing council -- have signalled in recent days policymakers will resume hiking rates.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
But when the Clippers landed Leonard as a free agent, beating out rivals such as the Los Angeles Lakers, it signalled a new era.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Lopez had hinted before the fight that he would be taking time out for the upcoming birth of his child, but quickly signalled his plans after securing victory.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Burnham has signalled a shift in north sea oil policy, earning praise from the Oval Office, but the dynamic between Miliband and Rubio will be closely watched.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Mr. Struthers signalled wildly to the overseers to stop the tractor, but the overseers were only human and it took time to act.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
“New realities are signaling that the era of ‘cheap’ uranium is fading away,” Yussupov said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The researchers then investigated the molecular mechanism behind these effects and found that pterostilbene significantly increased PPARδ signaling.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026
The derivatives market is signaling a rate hike is likely at the September meeting, raising the probability to 64% from 36% before Warsh spoke at Jackson Hole.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
For now, the most important message was, they added, a measured response signaling to Moscow that nothing Russia does will shake Berlin’s support for Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Jabir demonstrated a few more tricks before clapping his hands and signaling for the dogs to stop and sit.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The China Securities Regulatory Commission recently held informal talks with some investment banks and institutional investors, signalling a higher bar for humanoid-robotics companies seeking to go public, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Munira Mustaffa, a Malaysia-based counterterrorism and extremism expert, said they were "frustrated signalling" by insurgents intended to "get the government to return to the table".
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
“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
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised down the number of jobs added in May and June by 103,000, signalling a slow summer of job creation.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
I was about to continue further around the room when I caught sight of Miss Kenton through the open doorway, signalling to me.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
