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

Its plaintiffs included a deaf man who wasn’t provided with a sign language interpreter during a mental health crisis and people with physical disabilities who were injured trying to access toilets, showers or bunk beds that weren’t up to code. —Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025

Between 2016 and 2022, Starbucks opened several stores with staff fluent in sign language. —Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

Plus, babies who use sign language before speaking learn to talk earlier, score higher on intelligence tests, develop a larger vocabulary, and display more self-confidence compared to their non-signing peers. —Leslie Garisto Pfaff, Parents, 15 May 2025

Shelter workers contacted Activating Change, a group that can provide sign language interpreters who are trained to help people experiencing trauma. —Jack Brook, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sign language

• interlanguage
• metalanguage

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