signify

verb sig·ni·fy \ ˈsig-nə-ˌfī \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: signify in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of signify

signified; signifying

transitive verb

1 a : to be a sign of : mean

b : imply

2 : to show especially by a conventional token (such as word, signal, or gesture)

intransitive verb

1 : to have significance : matter

it will not much signify what one wears
—Jane Austen

2 : to engage in signifying

See signify defined for English-language learners

See signify defined for kids

Examples of signify in a Sentence

A check mark next to your name signifies that you have met all the requirements.
The recent decline of the stock market does not necessarily signify the start of a recession.
He gave her a diamond ring to signify his love.
Whether he agrees or not does not signify.

Recent Examples of signify from the Web

The June moon's name signifies the time to harvest summer fruits, like strawberries.

— sebastian modak, Condé Nast Traveler, "See the Strawberry Moon and Saturn Together This Week," 27 June 2018
That signifies two issues: one is that Sampaoli can not, realistically, squeeze all of it into the same team.

— rory smith, New York Times, "How Argentina Lost Its Way. (Spoiler: It’s Not Messi’s Fault.)," 22 June 2018
This signifies a very moist atmosphere that storms moving into later will be to draw from.

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "Heavy storms threaten Tuesday evening and may cause flash flooding," 15 May 2018
Red signifies the ozone is at an unhealthy level for all.

— frank kummer, Philly.com, "Philly fails to meet smog standards, EPA says," 1 May 2018
This signifies a much higher commitment to the relocation industry at large, and in serving the needs of such specialized clients.

— michelle sandlin, Houston Chronicle, "On the Move: Relocation Spotlight, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties," 29 Apr. 2018
Code Red alerts indicate the air is unhealthy for everyone; Code Orange alerts signify that sensitive groups, particularly children, older adults and those with respiratory issues, may experience adverse health effects.

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "Washington posted first Code Red day since 2012 on Monday due to ‘unhealthy’ pollution levels," 10 July 2018
The French Under-21 international played for Nantes and Marseille during the formative years of his career, so the French clubs interest could signify that Fenerbahçe will face stiff competition for his signature.

— SI.com, "Fenerbahçe Emerge as Potential Buyers for Forgotten Tottenham Winger Georges-Kevin N'Koudou," 21 June 2018
But his leaving didn't just signify a change for the brand — Maier was perhaps the last of a generation of designers (save for Karl Lagerfeld) lasting in creative director roles for years — or even decades.

— elizabeth raiss, refinery29.com, "Why Do We Treat A Fashion Designer Leaving A Brand Like Someone Dying?," 14 June 2018

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

Did You Know?

Signify basically means "to make a sign or signal". One of its synonyms is indicate; the index finger is the finger you point with, so to indicate is essentially to point to something. Significant means "important" and significance means "importance;" similarly, insignificant means "unimportant" and insignificance means "lack of importance".