sign

[ sahyn ]

/ saɪn /

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See synonyms for: sign / signed / signing / signs on Thesaurus.com

noun

a token or indication; a piece of evidence: The smoke curling from the chimney was a sign that someone was in the cabin.

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.

a conventional or arbitrary mark, figure, or symbol used as an abbreviation for the word or words it represents.

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.

a notice, bearing a name, direction, warning, or advertisement, that is displayed or posted for public view: a traffic sign;a store sign.

a trace; vestige: There wasn't a sign of them.

an arbitrary or conventional symbol used in musical notation to indicate tonality, tempo, etc.

Medicine/Medical. the objective indications of a disease.

any meaningful gestural unit belonging to a sign language.

an omen; portent: The general unrest was a sign of the approaching revolution.

sign of the zodiac.

sign language (def. 1).

Usually signs. traces, such as footprints or scat, of a wild animal.

Mathematics.

a plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating addition or subtraction.
a plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating the positive or negative value of a quantity, as an integer.
multiplication sign.
division sign.
a symbol, as  or !, used to indicate a radical or factorial operation.

verb (used with object)

to affix a signature to: to sign a letter.

to write as a signature: to sign one's name.

to engage by written agreement: to sign a new player.

to mark with a sign, especially the sign of the cross.

to communicate by means of a sign; signal: He signed his wish to leave.

to convey (a message) in a sign language.

Obsolete. to direct or appoint by a sign.

verb (used without object)

to write one's signature, as a token of agreement, obligation, receipt, etc.: to sign for a package.

to make a sign or signal: He signed to her to go away.

to employ a sign language for communication.

to obligate oneself by signature: He signed with another team for the next season.

Verb Phrases

sign away / over to assign or dispose of by affixing one's signature to a document: She signed over her fortune to the church.

sign off,

to withdraw, as from some responsibility or connection.
to cease radio or television broadcasting, especially at the end of the day.
Informal. to become silent: He had exhausted conversation topics and signed off.
to indicate one's approval explicitly if not formally: The president is expected to sign off on the new agreement.

sign on,

to employ; hire.
to bind oneself to work, as by signing a contract: He signed on as a pitcher with a major-league team.
to start radio or television broadcasting, especially at the beginning of the day.
Computers. log¹ (def. 17a).

sign up, to enlist, as in an organization or group; to register or subscribe: to sign up for the navy;to sign up for class.

OTHER WORDS FOR sign

1 trace, hint, suggestion.

1, 4 signal.

10 indication, hint, augury.

See synonyms for sign on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

synonym study for sign

10. 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 WORDS FROM sign

sign·less, adjectivesign·like, adjectivepost·sign, verb (used with object)un·signed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sign

sign , sing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sign in a sentence

Although coronavirus cases have been rising in Virginia all fall, leading Northam to tighten certain restrictions on businesses and private gatherings, the economy has shown signs of improvement.
Feds cut extended unemployment benefits in Virginia as state’s economy improves|Laura Vozzella|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Ames believed those 600 turkeys weren’t just another meal, but a sign of stability for families that had little of it in the past eight months.
‘Can’t eat a gift card’: Rural food banks fight to put turkeys on the table|Kyle Swenson|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
That’s another sign that stocks in other industries could enjoy a prolonged spell in the sunshine as the global economy gets healthier.
The 21 best stocks to buy for 2021|Anne Sraders|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Mason and colleagues looked for signs of species diversity hidden in the genetic makeup of colugos, a task that required samples of colugo DNA from across Southeast Asia.
On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops|Yao-Hua Law|November 20, 2020|Science News

The Bucks also agreed with the Sacramento Kings Monday on a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic, but the veteran guard has yet to sign off on the deal by Wednesday, according to multiple people with knowledge of the evolving situation.
NBA free agency tracker (plus trades): Warriors acquire Kelly Oubre; 76ers trade Al Horford to Thunder|Ben Golliver|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
A declaration of candidacy signed by Cuomo was in the trunk of his car.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82|Eleanor Clift|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In fact, by the end of 2014, it passed over 220 bills, which were signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive|Ben Jacobs|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2007, President Bush signed a law that required all Head Start grantees to be evaluated using an evidence-based system.
Can the U.S. Government Go Moneyball?|Peter Orszag, Jim Nussle|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And now the Chinese courts have effectively signed their name to it.
China’s Electroshock Gay-Conversion Case|Nina Strochlic|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Craig is signed on for just one more Bond flick after Spectre.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Reveal Studio Head Wants Idris Elba For the Next James Bond|William Boot|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A tall phantom in livery appeared, as if by magic, and signed to me to ascend the grand staircase.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Some were inquisitive enough to ask, Has a treaty been signed or a trick been played upon the rebels?
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Each entry on the vault record book shall be signed by the persons having access to the safe.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
“Chaplet”—a wreath or garland signed for by him in his ambitious hopes—expresses his birth-date by Con.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
They were taken to the quarters of the general-in-chief in command, and it was he himself who signed their condemnation.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sign

sign

/ (saɪn) /

noun

something that indicates or acts as a token of a fact, condition, etc, that is not immediately or outwardly observable

an action or gesture intended to convey information, a command, etc

a board, placard, etc, displayed in public and inscribed with words or designs intended to inform, warn, etc
(as modifier)a sign painter

an arbitrary or conventional mark or device that stands for a word, phrase, etc

maths logic

any symbol indicating an operationa plus sign; an implication sign
the positivity or negativity of a number, quantity, or expressionsubtraction from zero changes the sign of an expression

an indication or vestigethe house showed no signs of being occupied

a portentous or significant event

an indication, such as a scent or spoor, of the presence of an animal

med any objective evidence of the presence of a disease or disorderCompare symptom (def. 1)

astrology Compare sign of the zodiac

verb

to write (one's name) as a signature to (a document, etc) in attestation, confirmation, ratification, etc

(intr often foll by to) to make a sign; signal

to engage or be engaged by written agreement, as a player for a team, etc

(tr) to outline in gestures a sign over, esp the sign of the cross

(tr) to indicate by or as if by a sign; betoken

(intr) to use sign language

Derived forms of sign

signable, adjective

Word Origin for sign

C13: from Old French signe, from Latin signum a sign

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for sign

sign

[ sīn ]

A body manifestation, usually detected on physical examination or through laboratory tests or xrays, that indicates the presence of abnormality or disease. Compare symptom.

See symbol. See Table at symbol.

Other Idioms and Phrases with sign

sign

In addition to the idioms beginning with sign

sign in
sign off
sign on
sign one's own death warrant
sign on the dotted line
sign out
sign over
sign up

, see

high sign
show signs of

sign

OTHER WORDS FOR sign

Origin of sign

synonym study for sign

OTHER WORDS FROM sign

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sign

Words related to sign

How to use sign in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sign

Derived forms of sign

Word Origin for sign

Scientific definitions for sign

Other Idioms and Phrases with sign