signify
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to indicate, show, or suggest
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(tr) to imply or portend
the clouds signified the coming storm
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(tr) to stand as a symbol, sign, etc (for)
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informal (intr) to be significant or important
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has signifiedperfect 3rd person singular
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have signifiedperfect
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is signifyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been signifyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been signifyingperfect progressive
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am signifyingprogressive 1st person singular
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are signifyingprogressive
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signifyingparticiple
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signifiessingular 3rd person
Past
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had signifiedperfect
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had been signifyingperfect progressive
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was signifyingprogressive singular
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signifiedparticiple
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were signifyingprogressive plural
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signifiedsimple
Future
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
Explanation
To signify means to "mean." When Paul Revere looked for the lanterns in the church tower, he knew that one would signify that the British were coming by land and two would indicate that they were coming by sea. When objects are endowed with symbolic meaning, they are said to signify things. A dove signifies peace, a six-pointed star signifies Judaism, a frog signifies fertility, a trident signifies the Hindu Shiva or the Greek Poseidon.
Vocabulary lists containing signify
Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 4
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Divergent
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Tears of a Tiger
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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.
Disney said in its news release that it is a new certification for premium large format theaters and “will signify to audiences which auditoriums offer the biggest, brightest, and most immersive cinematic experiences.”
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
And that’s why at the base of the structure is a looping opening meant to signify a half-open doorway.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
Conspicuous lip color can, after all, signify a million things — from class status to sardonic camp.
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026
It does not necessarily signify that a crime has occurred.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026
All the while I was listening for clicks, listening to the sound we’d been told would signify a compromised line.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
