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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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The signatories are asking Washington to help build the steering wheel before the engine hits recursive gear — to make the option to slow down viable so that no single lab or country has to unilaterally sacrifice competitive ground to exercise it. Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026 One of the signatories, Food Not Cops Burlington, posted and then deleted a boycott map targeting the business owners. Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 The signatories include Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Anthropic cofounder Jack Clark. Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 29 July 2026 Other signatories include Fall of Freedom, Issue One, PEN America, People for the American Way, LGBT Tech, The Media and Democracy Project, The Trevor Project, The Tully Center for Free Speech and UnidosUS. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for signatory

Word History

Etymology

Latin signatorius of sealing, from signare

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of signatory was in 1826

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Cite this Entry

“Signatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/signatory. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Legal Definition

signatory

noun
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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