sign language
Americannoun
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Also called sign. any of several visual-gestural systems of communication, especially employing manual gestures, as used among deaf people.
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any means of communication, as between speakers of different languages, using gestures.
noun
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another word for signing
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any system of communication by manual signs or gestures
Etymology
Origin of sign language
First recorded in 1840–50
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.
It has built a mechanical hand that can translate a teachers' voice into sign language in real time, allowing deaf children to learn alongside their hearing counterparts.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
"The biggest challenge we faced actually was in Africa we don't have a standardised African sign language dataset," Kimathi told AFP at the company's tiny lab in Nairobi.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
They already have created a unique communication style — even though Barton doesn’t know much sign language and Wallace can’t speak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
It’s smack talk in sign language, and it always gets a chuckle out of coach Thomas Randolph.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Each of the spices, dear brothers, became for us a smelling word, a sign language of the nose. Good thing I had purchased so many.”
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
