sign

SYN/saɪn/

Verbsigns, signing, signed

Noun pluralsigns

22 meanings of sign

Practice

1
make bindingverbtransitive
To write your name in your own way on something, for example to agree to it.
Please sign the form at the bottom before you hand it in.
My dad signed the permission slip for my school trip.
UsageYou sign a form. What you write is your signature.
2
street boardnouncountable or uncountable
A flat board with words or pictures that tells people something.
Like a note on a door that everyone walking by can read.
We followed the sign to the parking lot.
A bright red sign warned drivers about the sharp curve.
UsageSay the sign says Exit.
Similarnotice, placard, board
3
evidencenouncountable or uncountable
Something you can see that shows what is true or what might happen.
Like footprints that tell you someone walked by.
Dark clouds are a sign that rain is coming.
Her smile was a clear sign that she felt better.
UsageSay dark clouds are a sign of rain.
Similarindication, evidence, signal
4
verbintransitive
To agree by contract to play or work for a team or company, or to hire someone that way.
Like saying yes to a new job and making it official.
He wants to sign with a bigger team.
The young player signed for the local club.
UsageSay he signed with a new team.
5
symbolnouncountable or uncountable
A mark or shape that stands for something.
Like a heart shape that means love.
The plus sign tells you to add the numbers.
She drew a peace sign on her notebook.
UsageSay plus sign or dollar sign.
Similarsymbol, mark
Note
6
nouncountable or uncountable
Something that happens and seems to warn about or promise something in the future.
Like a dark cloud that makes you think a storm is coming.
Many sailors saw a red sky as a sign of bad weather ahead.
Some people think a black cat is a bad sign.
UsageSay a black cat is a bad sign.
Similaromen, portent, warning, harbinger
7
zodiacnouncountable or uncountable
One of the twelve groups in astrology, linked to the date you were born.
Like a label for the time of year you were born, based on the stars.
Her sign is Leo, so she was born in the summer.
He wanted to know my sign before saying more.
UsageAsk What's your sign?
Note
8
nouncountable or uncountable
Something a doctor can see or measure that shows a person may be ill.
Like a warning light a mechanic can see, not just a feeling the driver has.
A high fever is a clear sign of infection.
Pain is a symptom, but a rash is a sign the doctor can see.
Similarindication, evidence
Note
9
nouncountable
A movement of your hand, head or body that tells someone something.
The teacher made a sign for us to sit down.
The driver made a sign with his hand to let me cross the street.
Similarsignal, gesture
Note

Less common meanings

10
use hand languageverbintransitive
To talk using sign language.
Like speaking, but you use your hands instead of your voice.
My little brother is deaf, so our whole family learned to sign.
Can you sign, or should I write my question down for you?
11
gesture languagenoununcountable
A language that uses hand movements and facial expressions instead of speech, or one gesture in it that means a word.
Like a whole language, but made with hands instead of sounds.
He talks to his deaf brother in sign.
Many people learn sign to help others.
UsageSay they talk in sign.
Note
12
make gesturesverbintransitive
To tell someone something by moving your hands or making a signal.
Like waving your hand to tell a friend to come over.
When it is our turn, the guard will sign for us to go in.
He signed for me to come closer.
UsageSay he signed for me to come closer.
Similarsignal, gesture, motion
Note
13
verbtransitivecomputing
To add a coded digital mark to an app, file, or message that proves who sent it and that nobody changed it.
Developers have to sign their apps before the app store will accept them.
My email program can sign every message I send, so people know it really came from me.
Note
14
nouncountable or uncountable
Whether a number is positive or negative, shown by a plus or minus mark.
Like a label that tells you whether you owe money or have money.
Always check the sign of your answer on a math test.
Every number except zero has a sign, either positive or negative.
Note
15
mark the routeverbtransitive
To put up road signs along a road or path.
Like putting up arrows so people know which way to go.
The town will sign the new bike path next month.
Crews signed the detour clearly so drivers would not get lost.
Similarsignpost, mark
16
animal tracksnounAustraliaCanadaUSuncountable
Tracks, droppings, or other marks that show an animal has been nearby.
Like footprints and crumbs telling you someone walked through the kitchen.
The hunters looked for deer sign along the muddy trail.
Fresh sign told them a bear had passed by recently.
UsageSay they found deer sign.
Similarspoor, tracks, traces
Note
17
verbtransitive
To make or leave a mark on something.
Similarmark, brand, stamp
18
carrier of meaningnouncountable or uncountable
Anything that stands for an idea or carries meaning, like a word or a picture.
Like the word 'dog' standing in for the real animal.
The word 'tree' is a sign that links a sound to an idea.
Every word is a kind of sign for an idea.
Similarsymbol
Note
19
cross oneselfverbreflexivetransitive
To move your hand in the shape of a cross over yourself or someone as a blessing.
Like touching your head and chest in a small pattern to say a quiet prayer.
Many worshippers sign themselves as they enter the church.
She signed herself quickly before the meal.
Similarcross
20
sealverbarchaictransitive
To close or mark a document with a special seal or symbol.
Note
21
verb
To find out whether a value is positive or negative.
22
noun
An emblem or symbol carried on a flag or pole by an army.
The great Ensign of Messiah blaz'd Aloft by Angels born, his Sign in Heav'n.
1667, John Milton, Paradise LostHere, Sign means an emblem carried high on a flag, like an army's.

More uses

sign upto join or register for something
sign into enter your details to get into an account

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of sign apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 2–3, 5–8, 11, 14, 16, 18

It came from an Old English word and an Old French word, both meaning a sign or mark. Both came from the Latin word signum, meaning a mark, sign, or token.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The noun derives from Old English and Old French words meaning a sign or mark. en.wiktionary.org
Both source words derive from Latin signum. en.wiktionary.org
Latin signum means a mark, sign, or token. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1, 4, 9–10, 12–13, 15, 17, 19–20

This came partly from an Old English verb and partly from Old French and Anglo-Norman verbs, all going back to the Latin word signāre, meaning to mark or indicate, from signum ("a mark, sign").

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

The verb sign came partly from Old English and partly from Old French and Anglo-Norman verbs, ultimately from Latin signāre. en.wiktionary.org
Latin signāre means to mark or indicate. en.wiktionary.org
Latin signāre derives from signum. en.wiktionary.org
Latin signum means a mark or sign. en.wiktionary.org