sign language

noun

1

: any of various formal languages employing a system of hand gestures and their placement relative to the upper body, facial expressions, body postures, and finger spelling especially for communication by and with deaf people

But true sign languages are in fact complete in themselves: their syntax, grammar, and semantics are complete, but they have a different character from that of any spoken or written language.

—Oliver Sacks

Sign language relies mainly on the signer's hand, but facial expressions and body movements are also important.

—Mark Prigg

2

: an unsystematic method of communicating chiefly by manual gestures (as by people speaking different languages)

I decided to cadge a lift from a Lebanese who only spoke Arabic, so we had to converse in sign language.

—Robert Fox

Examples of sign language in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Maya Lopez) as a young girl being taunted by an ice cream vendor for speaking in sign language. —Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023

Seal worked with a teammate, who relayed officials’ spoken words to him in sign language. —Jeong Park, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2023

The drama centers on Miriam whose life is a testament to her love of sign language. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 6 Oct. 2023

Thanks to the solution, divers can communicate with the surface and among each other much better than by sign language. —IEEE Spectrum, 6 Sep. 2023

One of the judges noted the potential of applying the sign language aspect to back catalog content cheaply. —Callum McLennan, Variety, 28 Sep. 2023

Plus, today was our first show ever with a sign language interpreter, and I was blown away. —Josh Chesler, Spin, 20 Sep. 2023

The class is part of a three-session program McAllister and Brinton teach about sign language and music. —Palak Jayswal, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 July 2023

Martinez, who is deaf, gets the defensive calls in sign language from Jill Otahal, a paraprofessional in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. —Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sign language

noun

1

: a formal language using a system of hand movements for communication (as by the deaf)

2

: a way of communicating mainly by hand and arm movements as often used by people speaking different languages

Medical Definition

sign language

noun

: any of various formal languages employing a system of hand gestures and their placement relative to the upper body, facial expressions, body postures, and finger spelling especially for communication by and with deaf people