sign

noun \ ˈsīn \

Definition of sign

1 a :a motion or gesture by which a thought is expressed or a command or wish made known

b :signal 2a

c :a fundamental linguistic unit that designates an object or relation or has a purely syntactic function

signs include words, morphemes, and punctuation

d :one of a set of gestures used to represent language; also :sign language

2 :a mark having a conventional meaning and used in place of words or to represent a complex notion

3 :one of the 12 divisions of the zodiac

4 a (1) :a character (such as a flat or sharp) used in musical notation

(2) :segno

b :a character (such as ÷) indicating a mathematical operation; also :one of two characters + and − that form part of the symbol of a number and characterize it as positive or negative

5 a :a display (such as a lettered board or a configuration of neon tubing) used to identify or advertise a place of business or a product

b :a posted command, warning, or direction

c :signboard

6 a :something material or external that stands for or signifies something spiritual

b :something indicating the presence or existence of something else

signs of success

a sign of the times

c :presage, portent

signs of an early spring

d :an objective evidence of plant or animal disease

7 plural usually sign :traces of a usually wild animal

red fox sign

See sign defined for English-language learners

See sign defined for kids

Examples of sign in a Sentence

The sign in the store window says “OPEN.”
After you get off the highway, follow the signs for Route 25.
He ran the stop sign.
There was a “For Sale” sign on the car.
All the signs point to him as the guilty party.
She ignored me, which was a sure sign that she was mad at me.
“The company called me in for a second interview.” “That's a good sign.”
It was a bad sign that he couldn't walk on the injured leg.
There are plenty of warning signs that the company is in danger of bankruptcy.
They bowed before the king as a sign of respect.

Recent Examples of sign from the Web

What other buildings in the area are made of glow-in-the-dark circles, to no end, like the sign of infinity, the time our neighborhood will be dealing with this monstrosity?

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Architecture and Religious Bias: A California Case Study," 20 July 2017
Signs on the walls of the exhibit provided testaments to the first responders who went to help people in the crisis and their work to find them in the months after.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Exhibit brings 9/11 history to Lake County," 19 July 2017
Many of the wrecks remain in great shape, and the submerged vessels show no signs of going anywhere soon.

— chris mcnamara, chicagotribune.com, "A deep dive into Michigan's eerie, beautiful Shipwreck Coast," 18 July 2017
There were months of warning signs about Sun before the weekend’s events.

— keith zhai, Bloomberg.com, "Downfall of Chinese Rising Star Points to Xi Power Play," 16 July 2017
Uber itself has raised an alarm about drivers — some with homemade Uber signs in the window — impersonating its workers at airports in New York.

— hannah seligson, Cosmopolitan, "Your Mobile Apps Are More Dangerous Than You Think," 15 July 2017
The rate at which the universe expands, its ratio of matter to energy and various other apparently arbitrary factors can be seen as showing signs of such fine tuning.

— The Economist, "If the universe was not “fine-tuned”Reflections on the fine-structure constant," 13 July 2017
Unfortunately, given their track record so far, no one expects charity or humility from this administration and any signs of it at this point will likely be met with strict skepticism and analysis, as there is almost certainly a catch.

— mary-pat hector, Essence.com, "Spelman's Mary-Pat Hector Pens Powerful Letter To Omarosa & Donald Trump About Lack Of HBCU Funding," 12 July 2017
One of them, called J147, appeared to preserve cognition and actually reverse some signs of aging in mice.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Plant compound shows more evidence of cognition-protecting abilities, in animal testing," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sign.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sign

Middle English signe, from Anglo-French, from Latin signum mark, token, sign, image, seal; perhaps akin to Latin secare to cut — more at saw

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

sign Synonyms

Synonyms

gesticulation, mime, pantomime, gesture, signal

Related Words

beck, beckon, flourish, shrug, wave; body language, posture; indication, motion; sign language

Synonym Discussion of sign

sign, mark, token, note, symptom mean a discernible indication of what is not itself directly perceptible. sign applies to any indication to be perceived by the senses or the reason.

- encouraging signs for the economy

mark suggests something impressed on or inherently characteristic of a thing often in contrast to general outward appearance.

- a mark of a good upbringing

token applies to something that serves as a proof of something intangible.

- this gift is a token of our esteem

note suggests a distinguishing mark or characteristic.

- a note of irony in her writing

symptom suggests an outward indication of an internal change or condition.

- rampant crime is a symptom of that city's decay

sign

verb

Definition of sign

transitive verb

1 a :cross 2

b :to place a sign on or mark by signs

sign a trail

c :to represent or indicate by a sign

2 a :to affix a signature to :ratify or attest by hand or seal

sign a bill into law

sign a confession

b :to assign or convey formally

signed over his property to his brother

c :to write down (one's name)

d :to affix one's name to

a signed review

3 :to communicate by making a sign or by sign language

4 :to engage or hire by securing the signature of on a contract of employment —often used with up or on

intransitive verb

1 :to write one's name in token of assent, responsibility, or obligation

signed for the packages

signed with the team for one season

2 a :to make a sign or signal

b :to use sign language

—

signee

play \ˌsī-ˈnē\ noun

—

signer

play \ˈsī-nər\ noun

See sign defined for English-language learners

Examples of sign in a Sentence

Sign your name on the bottom line.
She met with fans and signed autographs.
Please sign at the bottom of the application.
You forgot to sign the document.
He was forced to sign the confession.
The contract was signed by both parties.
The author will be signing copies of his books today.
The contract should be signed, sealed, and delivered by tomorrow.
The team signed the pitcher to a three-year contract.
He is signed to a three-year contract.

Recent Examples of sign from the Web

Need some inspiration for what classes to sign up for next week?

— kate friedman, Glamour, "Just 11 Photos of Celebrities Being Beasts at the Gym," 31 Aug. 2017
Kids with type 1 diabetes can go on the field for batting practice, get a ball for players to sign, learn facts about diabetes and enjoy the game as guests of Marlins pitcher Dustin McGowan.

— jennifer jhon, South Florida Parenting, "What to do with the kids this weekend: Free zoo, bowling and crafts events," 30 Aug. 2017
Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.

— clark spencer, miamiherald, "Call to Arms: Pitching help could be right around the corner for Marlins," 30 Aug. 2017
Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Hounds roamed a Missouri town, and a bicyclist was killed. Now dog owners owe $300,000," 30 Aug. 2017
And in 1849, after imprisoning Jindan, the British forced Duleep to sign a legal document amending the Treaty of Lahore, that required Duleep to give away the Koh-i-Noor and all claim to sovereignty.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond—And Why the British Won’t Give It Back," 30 Aug. 2017
Ohio State recently signed former Alabama five-star recruit Kendall Sheffield from Blinn for this season.

— drew champlin, AL.com, "Ex-Auburn DL Antwuan Jackson Jr. lands Ohio State offer," 29 Aug. 2017
The following year Jefferson signed legislation banning the sale of alcohol to the Indians.

— Longreads, "America’s First Addiction Epidemic," 29 Aug. 2017
More: Why Louisville, more than any other school, must sign Romeo Langford Langford played for Kentucky coach John Calipari for Team USA at the U-19 World Championships in July.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "New Albany five-star Romeo Langford narrows list to seven schools," 28 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of sign

Middle English, from Anglo-French signer, from Latin signare to mark, sign, seal, from signum

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

sign Synonyms

Synonyms

autograph, ink, subscribe

Related Words

sign up; cosign, countersign, endorse (also indorse), register, sign on; inscribe; author, pen, pencil (in), scratch (out), scrawl, scribble; notarize

SIGN Defined for English Language Learners

sign

noun

Definition of sign for English Language Learners

: a piece of paper, wood, etc., with words or pictures on it that gives information about something
: something (such as an action or event) which shows that something else exists, is true, or will happen
: a motion, action, or movement that you use to express a thought, command, or wish

sign

verb

Definition of sign for English Language Learners

: to write (your name) on something
: to write your name on (something) especially to show that you accept, agree with, or will be responsible for something
: to hire (someone) to do something especially by having that person sign a contract

SIGN Defined for Kids

sign

noun \ ˈsīn \

Definition of sign for Students

1 :a motion, action, or movement of the hand that means something

The teacher made a sign for them to be quiet.

2 :a public notice that advertises something or gives information

a stop sign

3 :something that indicates what is present or is to come

the first signs of spring

4 :a symbol (as + or ÷) indicating a mathematical operation

5 :one of the twelve parts of the zodiac

Word Root of sign

The Latin word signum, meaning “mark” or “indication,” gives us the root sign. Words from the Latin signum have something to do with marks, signs, or indications. A sign is a move of the hand that indicates something to others. To designate is to mark someone or something for a special purpose. A signal is an indication that an action should begin.

sign

verb

Definition of sign for Students

signed; signing

1 :to put a signature on to show acceptance, agreement, or responsibility

His boss signed the order form.

2 :to communicate by using sign language

3 :to represent or show by a motion, action, or movement

4 :to make or place a sign on

— sign up

:to sign someone's name in order to get, do, or take something

I signed up to go.

Medical Dictionary

sign

noun \ ˈsīn \

medical Definition of sign

1 :one of a set of gestures used to represent language

2 :an objective evidence of disease especially as observed and interpreted by the physician rather than by the patient or lay observer

narrow retinal vessels are a sign of arteriosclerosis

— see brudzinski sign, chvostek's sign, homans' sign, kernig sign, physical sign, placental sign, romberg's sign, tinel's sign, vital signs, von graefe's sign — compare symptom

Law Dictionary

sign

transitive verb

legal Definition of sign

1 :to affix a signature to :ratify or attest by hand or seal

sign a bill into law

; specifically :to write or mark something (as a signature) on (a document) as an acknowledgment of one's intention to be bound by it

2 :to assign or convey formally

signed the property over to his brother

—

signer

noun

Learn More about sign

See words that rhyme with sign Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sign Spanish Central: Translation of sign Nglish: Translation of sign for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sign for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sign

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Origin and Etymology of sign

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Synonym Discussion of sign

sign

Definition of sign

signee

signer

Examples of sign in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sign from the Web

Origin and Etymology of sign

sign Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

SIGN Defined for English Language Learners

sign

Definition of sign for English Language Learners

sign

Definition of sign for English Language Learners

SIGN Defined for Kids

sign

Definition of sign for Students

Word Root of sign

sign

Definition of sign for Students

Medical Dictionary

sign

medical Definition of sign

Law Dictionary

sign

legal Definition of sign

signer

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