signify

verb sig·ni·fy \ ˈsig-nə-ˌfī \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

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

That this study and the first issue of Playboy came out in the same year signified, moreover, a decreasing public acceptance of censorship.

— linda gordon, The New Republic, "How birth-control leaders found allies in American religious groups," 5 Apr. 2018
Those five letters on a résumé signify an elite status that commands higher pay (as much as $600 per day) and more job opportunities.

— anna callaghan, Outside Online, "Smashing Guiding's Glass Ceiling," 3 Apr. 2018
In any fairy tale, the princess signifies the feminine ideal.

— faith moore, WSJ, "Planned Princesshood," 2 Apr. 2018
To Vogel, the tiny piece of the net signifies something more than a national championship.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Twenty-two years later, Frank Vogel cherishes his role with the 1996 NCAA Tournament champion Kentucky Wildcats," 31 Mar. 2018
New moons signify the beginning of a lunar cycle, so this period is for reflection, not action.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "What April's Libra Horoscope Means for You," 29 Mar. 2018
The 1992 opening of the Russian consulate in Seattle signified warmer trade relations — from flights to fish — between the Pacific Northwest and the Russian Far East.

— hal bernton, The Seattle Times, "With closure of Russia consulate in Seattle, hopes for Pacific ‘partnership’ fade," 26 Mar. 2018
Does polished leisure wear signify the end of completely cutting loose in the comfort of your own home, where messy dinners and kids’ sticky hands might lurk?

— flora tsapovsky, San Francisco Chronicle, "Meet athleisure’s homey sibling: loungewear," 22 Mar. 2018
The first day of spring usually signifies the beginning of the regular season for spring sports around the county.

— kyle stackpole, Howard County Times, "Snow wipes out opening day games for Howard County spring sports," 21 Mar. 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".