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A signatory puts his or her signature on a document that is also signed by others. In 1215 the English barons revolted against King John and forced him to join them as a signatory to the Magna Carta. This agreement stated the barons' own duties to the King but also assigned the barons clear rights and limited the King's power over them. Though the Magna Carta did nothing for the common people, it's often been called the first step toward democracy in the English-speaking countries.
Examples of signatory in a Sentence
a signatory of the Declaration of Independence
Recent Examples on the Web
The signatories said that many elements of modern international law aimed at protecting human life were originally forged in response to the Holocaust.
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Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Kayla Bartkowski | Getty Images Other high-profile signatories included the British royal family members Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as well as former president of Ireland Mary Robinson.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
The letter’s more notable signatories include AI pioneer and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, other AI luminaries such as Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell, as well as business leaders such as Virgin cofounder Richard Branson and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Advertisement The Pentagon did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for further details on the signatories.
—Connor Greene, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
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Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Kayla Bartkowski | Getty Images Other high-profile signatories included the British royal family members Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as well as former president of Ireland Mary Robinson.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
The letter’s more notable signatories include AI pioneer and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, other AI luminaries such as Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell, as well as business leaders such as Virgin cofounder Richard Branson and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Advertisement The Pentagon did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for further details on the signatories.
—Connor Greene, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for signatory
Cite this Entry
“Signatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/signatory. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
signatory
noun
sig·na·to·ry
ˈsig-nə-ˌtōr-ē 
plural signatories
: a signer with another or others
signatories to a petition
especially
: a government bound with others by a signed convention
signatory
adjective
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