signpost
Americannoun
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a post bearing a sign that shows the way, as at a roadside
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something that serves as a clue or indication; sign
verb
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to mark with signposts
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to indicate direction towards
the camp site is signposted from the road
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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signpostsimple
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signpostssimple
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have signpostedperfect
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has signpostedperfect
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am signpostingprogressive
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are signpostingprogressive
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is signpostingprogressive
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have been signpostingperfect progressive
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has been signpostingperfect progressive
Past
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signpostedsimple
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had signpostedperfect
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was signpostingprogressive
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were signpostingprogressive
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had been signpostingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of signpost
Explanation
A signpost is a raised marker on the side of a road that provides some kind of information — like how many miles you have to travel to a landmark (like the golden arches of McDonald's). A signpost can mark a historical site, a business, or the distance to a city. Smaller roads that meet at an intersection or crossroads often have a signpost marked with arrows and town names, making it clear which direction you should go. Sometimes signpost is used figuratively, to mean an indicator or hint: "The mayor's vote to fund a new school acted as a signpost to her feelings about education in general."
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:
The council's strategic and resources committee on Friday decided it should "suspend posting on its account and signpost followers towards the council's other social media channels".
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
What I was thinking, in fact, was that I was quite underwhelmed by the faded red curbs as a signpost for progress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
Michael O’Leary was holding court in a small conference room in front of a giant image of him conking Elon Musk over the head with an “I heart Ryanair” signpost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
Regardless of the sticker we slap on this signpost, it refers to the late-20s urge to commit to your path or trash it and start fresh.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2025
Right under the signpost was a tinker with a pair of donkeys, one of them loaded so high with bags and bundles that it looked ready to tip over, the other conspicuously unburdened.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
As the Spurs dethroned the defending champions on their home floor, the 22-year-old Wembanyama didn’t just match the early-career signposts of the greatest players in NBA history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
“There’ll be a number of signposts that we’ll be watching,” Wirth said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
For now, it’s difficult to say where prices for gold and silver may go from here, Marex’s Meir said, given that there are “no resistance signposts on the charts.”
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026
Given all the signposts the story’s obligated to hit, the plot’s cohesiveness is a minor miracle.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2025
Like all writing decisions, the amount of signposting requires judgment and compromise: too much, and the reader bogs down in reading the signposts; too little, and she has no idea where she is being led.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
However, they will still see content posted by creators paid or sponsored to advertise particular products or services - often signposted with "#ad".
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
“All In the Family” signposted its main character’s irascible bigotry and generation-gap grievances in the first minute by having its main character sing wistfully of a time when “Guys like me we had it made.”
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
My family were signposted to a charity called the Jennifer Trust, now known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy UK, which helped support me.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
"The information signposted by the University of York suggests that TFA can be formed from the degradation of PFAS-containing pesticides," Ann Bunting, Principal Inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2025
What I haven’t recognized till now is that the answers are signposted.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Like Guedez, many residents pushed on with their desperate search despite the signposting.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
"A service like this can make a huge difference, providing equipment, responsive visits as well as telephone advice and signposting to other services," adds Dr Cox.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2025
BMI Research analysts said "given that the global economy is slowing, the group will likely want to maintain their current cuts, while signposting the scope for further reductions, if market conditions demand it."
From Reuters ● Oct. 3, 2023
The plaintiff is a TV writer who says Delta’s “carbon-neutral” signposting misled her and that “she would not have purchased said flights on the same terms had they known those representations were not true.”
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2023
Like all writing decisions, the amount of signposting requires judgment and compromise: too much, and the reader bogs down in reading the signposts; too little, and she has no idea where she is being led.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
