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sign
[ sahyn ]
noun
- an indication or piece of evidence:
The smoke curling from the chimney was a sign that someone was in the cabin.
Synonyms: signal, suggestion, hint, trace
- any object, action, event, pattern, etc., that is taken as conveying a meaning:
I took her silence and fidgeting as a sign of disagreement.
Rising sales of disaster survival kits are a sign of the times.
- a conventional or arbitrary mark, figure, or symbol used as an abbreviation for the word or words it represents:
The dollar sign ($) can be found on your keyboard above the numeral 4.
- a motion or gesture used to express or convey an idea, command, decision, etc.:
Her nod was a sign that it was time to leave.
Synonyms: signal
- a notice, bearing a name, direction, warning, or advertisement, that is displayed or posted for public view:
a traffic sign;
a store sign.
- a trace; vestige:
I looked in my car for your glasses, but there was no sign of them.
- an arbitrary or conventional symbol used in musical notation to indicate tonality, tempo, etc.:
Notice the repeat sign at the end of that bar.
- Medicine/Medical. the objective indications of a disease.
- any meaningful gestural unit belonging to a sign language.
- an omen; portent:
The general unrest was a sign of the approaching revolution.
Synonyms: augury, hint, indication
- Usually signs. traces, such as footprints or scat, of a wild animal.
- Mathematics.
- a plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating addition or subtraction.
- a plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating the positive or negative value of a quantity, as an integer.
- a symbol, such as or !, used to indicate a radical or factorial operation.
- Semiotics. a symbol, object, or action together with the meaning given to it. signified ( def ), signifier ( def 2 ).
verb (used with object)
- to affix a signature to:
to sign a letter.
- to write as a signature:
to sign one's name.
- to engage or hire by a written agreement:
to sign a new player.
- to mark with a sign, especially the sign of the cross.
- to communicate by means of a sign; signal:
He signed his wish to leave by an impatient wave of his hand.
- to convey (a message) in a sign language.
- Obsolete. to direct or appoint by a sign.
verb (used without object)
- to write one's signature as an expression of agreement, obligation, receipt, etc.:
Someone will have to be here to sign for the package.
- to communicate by a gesture or signal:
He signed to her to go away.
- to employ a sign language for communication.
- to indicate one’s acceptance of a contract by a signature:
He signed with another team for the next season.
verb phrase
- to indicate one's approval:
The president is expected to sign off on the new agreement.
- to cease radio or television broadcasting, especially at the end of the day.
- to withdraw from a responsibility or connection.
- Informal. to end a conversation, especially on the phone or online:
It's been good talking to you—I'm going to sign off and get back to work.
- to record or authorize one's arrival by providing one's name and other requested information on a register, website, or digital device.
- Digital Technology. to log in to an account on a device or website by entering one’s identifying information:
Go to the Members page and sign in with your username and password.
- to engage (a worker, client, etc.) by a contract:
We’ve signed on three new retailers to distribute the product.
- to commit oneself to a job or other activity by signing a contract:
He signed on as a pitcher with a major-league team.
- to start radio or television broadcasting, especially at the beginning of the day.
- Digital Technology. to log in to an account on a device or website by entering one’s identifying information.
- to express agreement or cooperation:
It looks like both party leaders have signed on to the interest group's agenda.
- to assign or dispose of by affixing one's signature to a document:
She signed over her fortune to the church.
- to enlist, as in an organization or group; to register or subscribe:
to sign up for the navy;
to sign up for a class.
- to record or authorize one’s departure by providing one's name and other requested information on a register, website, or digital device:
Residents of the halfway house must sign out at the office when leaving.
- to record that one is borrowing (a tool, file, book, etc.) by providing one's name and other requested information on a register, website, or digital device:
We can sign out one of the canoes for a few hours and go exploring.
- Digital Technology. to log out of an account on a device or website:
If using a library computer, be sure to sign out at the end of your session.
sign
/ saɪn /
noun
- something that indicates or acts as a token of a fact, condition, etc, that is not immediately or outwardly observable
- an action or gesture intended to convey information, a command, etc
- a board, placard, etc, displayed in public and inscribed with words or designs intended to inform, warn, etc
- ( as modifier )
a sign painter
- an arbitrary or conventional mark or device that stands for a word, phrase, etc
- maths logic
- any symbol indicating an operation
a plus sign
an implication sign
- the positivity or negativity of a number, quantity, or expression
subtraction from zero changes the sign of an expression
- an indication or vestige
the house showed no signs of being occupied
- a portentous or significant event
- an indication, such as a scent or spoor, of the presence of an animal
- med any objective evidence of the presence of a disease or disorder Compare symptom
- astrology Compare sign of the zodiac
verb
- to write (one's name) as a signature to (a document, etc) in attestation, confirmation, ratification, etc
- introften foll byto to make a sign; signal
- to engage or be engaged by written agreement, as a player for a team, etc
- tr to outline in gestures a sign over, esp the sign of the cross
- tr to indicate by or as if by a sign; betoken
- intr to use sign language
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Derived Forms
- ˈsignable, adjective
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Other Words From
- sign·less adjective
- sign·like adjective
- post·sign verb (used with object)
- un·signed adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of sign1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of sign1
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Idioms and Phrases
- high sign
- show signs of
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Synonym Study
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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