signify

American  

[sig-nuh-fahy] / ˈsɪg nəˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

signified, signifying

1. to make known by signs, speech, or action.

   Synonyms:

   indicate, express, signal

2. to be a sign of; mean; portend.

   Synonyms:

   imply, betoken, denote, indicate, represent

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verb (used without object)

signified, signifying

1. to be of importance or consequence.

signify British  

/ ˈsɪɡnɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to indicate, show, or suggest

2. (tr) to imply or portend

   the clouds signified the coming storm

3. (tr) to stand as a symbol, sign, etc (for)

4. informal (intr) to be significant or important

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Other Word Forms

• signifiable adjective
• signifier noun
• unsignifiable adjective

Etymology

Origin of signify

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English signifien, from Old French signifier, from Latin significāre “to make a sign, indicate, mention, denote”; equivalent to sign + -ify

Example Sentences

To me, it signifies that the beginning of the end has occurred.

From Los Angeles Times

That would prove the regime’s inability to defend itself, signifying it can’t long survive and exacerbating divisions within a system already rocked by an accelerated succession crisis and the elimination of many top leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal

There was no explanation why the note was released and whether it is signified Larijani was still alive.

From Los Angeles Times

All the while I was listening for clicks, listening to the sound we’d been told would signify a compromised line.

From Literature

Only around a third of Angus’s 404 owners have plied their tokenized shares of the animal into the artists’ online Remorse Portal, signifying their wish to save his life.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• add up to
• bespeak
• convey
• imply
• manifest
• portend
• proclaim
• represent
• spell
• stand for
• suggest
• symbolize