signal 1 of 3

Definition of signalnext
1
as in flag
an object intended to give public notice or warning stop signs are signals for vehicles to come to a full stop—not suggestions for slowing down, as some drivers seem to think

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in gesture
a movement of the body or limbs that expresses or emphasizes an idea or feeling quietly waiting for the signal to advance

Synonyms & Similar Words

signal

2 of 3

verb

as in to motion
to direct or notify by a movement or gesture signaled the oncoming traffic to stop while the wrecked car was being towed away

Synonyms & Similar Words

signal

3 of 3

adjective

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of signal
Noun
Most of the maps showed devices moving toward the Alvarado area on the evening of July 4, though Autumn Hill's phone signal stayed in the area of her home in Dallas. Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026 Light treatment devices and wearables can also strengthen the signal to your circadian clock. Angela Haupt, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
In twenty-two minutes, the digital clock in the kitchen would gently flip to Sunday morning and this dinner would spill into the start of a new day, the kind of shift Nina used to think signaled a wildly successful evening. Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026 That language signals long-term ambitions. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for signal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for signal
Noun
  • Russian athletes will compete under their own flag at the Paralympics for the first time in more than a decade, and the country’s national anthem could be played for gold medalists for the first time on the stage of a major global sporting event since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
    Tales Azzoni, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Iran’s armed forces denied launching drones at Azerbaijan and suggested the incident may have been a false-flag operation by Israel.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Balances were a recurrent problem in the Prokofiev, and, with big and often distracting gestures, Kavakos didn’t always keep up with the soloist, the DSO’s excellent concertmaster, Alexander Kerr.
    Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026
  • The domestic gesture—cloth pegged on a line—challenges the archive’s binding, creating a visual anthology suspended in space.
    Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • On the other end of the court, Bulls coach Billy Donovan motioned for a timeout the moment the whistle blew.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
  • That’s when Washington’s Department of Health motioned for and received an Order of Default against Montano.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Attendees got to their feet as Seth Rogen delivered a short but extremely sweet speech about the late comedic icon, who posthumously won outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series for her work on The Studio.
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Agents ran his fingerprints through Border Patrol databases and determined his true identity, as well as the outstanding Sacramento County warrant for the Elk Grove case.
    Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Some doctors worry that this could be a sign that HHS plans to dismantle the longtime group altogether, similar to how other federal advisory groups have been restructured.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Years later, their affection toward one another showed no signs of cooling off.
    Adam Robb, Curbed, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • And yet there Friedmann was, waving at his antagonist.
    James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
  • The crowd danced, waved flags, and voiced their support for democracy in the country they were forced to leave decades ago.
    Da Lin, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • One thing Mojtaba is not is a religious scholar, fit to lead a country whose founding revolutionary purpose was to place the state under the total authority of the most distinguished Shiite jurist.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Mohamed-Slim Alouini, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, says the bandwidth of free-space optical (FSO) technologies like Taara Beam and Lightbridge still leaves plenty of room to grow.
    Margo Anderson, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The only defeats the Raiders have this year were at the prestigious Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas just before Christmas, the second out-of-state trip the team took in December following a weekend jaunt to Arizona for a couple of games earlier in the month.
    Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The lack of evangelical Christians at America’s most prestigious institutions fuels mistrust.
    Aaron M. Renn, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Signal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/signal. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on signal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster