SIGN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sign mean? 

• SIGN (noun)
  The noun SIGN has 11 senses:

1. a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)

2. a public display of a message

3. any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message

4. structure displaying a board on which advertisements can be posted

5. (astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided

6. (medicine) any objective evidence of the presence of a disorder or disease

7. having an indicated pole (as the distinction between positive and negative electric charges)

8. an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come

9. a gesture that is part of a sign language

10. a fundamental linguistic unit linking a signifier to that which is signified

11. a character indicating a relation between quantities

  Familiarity information: SIGN used as a noun is familiar.

• SIGN (adjective)
  The adjective SIGN has 1 sense:

1. used of the language of the deaf

  Familiarity information: SIGN used as an adjective is very rare.

• SIGN (verb)
  The verb SIGN has 8 senses:

1. mark with one's signature; write one's name (on)

2. approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation

3. be engaged by a written agreement

4. engage by written agreement

5. communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs

6. place signs, as along a road

7. communicate in sign language

8. make the sign of the cross over someone in order to call on God for protection; consecrate

  Familiarity information: SIGN used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SIGN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

mark; sign

Context example:

they welcomed the signs of spring

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

clew; clue; cue (evidence that helps to solve a problem)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sign"):

token (something serving as a sign of something else)

Derivation:

signify (convey or express a meaning)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A public display of a message

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

he posted signs in all the shop windows

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

communication (something that is communicated by or to or between people or groups)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sign"):

bill; card; notice; placard; poster; posting (a sign posted in a public place as an advertisement)

street sign (a sign visible from the street)

guidepost; signpost (a post bearing a sign that gives directions or shows the way)

Derivation:

sign (place signs, as along a road)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

sign; signal; signaling

Context example:

signals from the boat suddenly stopped

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

communication (something that is communicated by or to or between people or groups)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sign"):

retreat ((military) a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position)

output; output signal (signal that comes out of an electronic system)

input; input signal (signal going into an electronic system)

radio beacon (a characteristic signal emitted by a transmitter used for navigation)

electronic signal (a signal generated by electronic means)

indicator (a signal for attracting attention)

visual signal (a signal that involves visual communication)

symbol (an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance)

high sign (a silent signal of warning or recognition)

whistle; whistling (the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or blowing a whistle)

radiotelegraphic signal; telegraphic signal (a signal transmitted by telegraphy)

drumbeat ((military) the beating of a drum as a signal for lowering the flag at sundown)

curfew (a signal (usually a bell) announcing the start of curfew restrictions)

all clear (a signal (usually a siren) that danger is over)

recording (a signal that encodes something (e.g., picture or sound) that has been recorded)

number; phone number; telephone number (the number is used in calling a particular telephone)

start; starting signal (a signal to begin (as in a race))

storm signal (a signal announcing the approach of a storm (particularly a storm of marked violence))

beam; radio beam (a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather)

ticktack (system of signalling by hand signs used by bookmakers at racetracks)

time signal (a signal (especially electronic or by radio) indicating the precisely correct time)

dog-ear (a corner of a page turned down to mark your place)

animal communication (communication between animals (of the same species))

alarm; alarum; alert; warning signal (an automatic signal (usually a sound) warning of danger)

distress call; distress signal (an internationally recognized signal sent out by a ship or plane indicating that help is needed)

bugle call (a signal broadcast by the sound of a bugle)

Derivation:

sign (make the sign of the cross over someone in order to call on God for protection; consecrate)

sign (communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs)

signify (convey or express a meaning)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Structure displaying a board on which advertisements can be posted

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

sign; signboard

Context example:

the highway was lined with signboards

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sign"):

sandwich board (signboard consisting of two hinged boards that hang front and back from the shoulders of a walker and are used to display advertisements)

billboard; hoarding (large outdoor signboard)

shingle (a small signboard outside the office of a lawyer or doctor, e.g.)

scoreboard (a large board for displaying the score of a contest (and some other information))

Derivation:

sign (place signs, as along a road)

Sense 5

Meaning:

(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

house; mansion; planetary house; sign; sign of the zodiac; star sign

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

part; region (the extended spatial location of something)

Domain category:

astrology; star divination (a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon)

Instance hyponyms:

Leo; Leo the Lion; Lion (the fifth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about July 23 to August 22)

Fish; Pisces; Pisces the Fishes (the twelfth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about February 19 to March 20)

Aquarius; Aquarius the Water Bearer; Water Bearer (the eleventh sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about January 20 to February 18)

Capricorn; Capricorn the Goat; Goat (the tenth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about December 22 to January 19)

Archer; Sagittarius; Sagittarius the Archer (the ninth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about November 22 to December 21)

Scorpio; Scorpio the Scorpion; Scorpion (the eighth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about October 23 to November 21)

Balance; Libra; Libra the Balance; Libra the Scales (the seventh sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about September 23 to October 22)

Virgin; Virgo; Virgo the Virgin (the sixth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about August 23 to September 22)

Cancer; Cancer the Crab; Crab (the fourth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about June 21 to July 22)

Gemini; Gemini the Twins; Twins (the third sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about May 21 to June 20)

Bull; Taurus; Taurus the Bull (the second sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about April 20 to May 20)

Aries; Aries the Ram; Ram (the first sign of the zodiac which the sun enters at the vernal equinox; the sun is in this sign from about March 21 to April 19)

Holonyms ("sign" is a part of...):

zodiac (a belt-shaped region in the heavens on either side to the ecliptic; divided into 12 constellations or signs for astrological purposes)

Sense 6

Meaning:

(medicine) any objective evidence of the presence of a disorder or disease

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

there were no signs of asphyxiation

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

evidence; grounds (your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief)

Domain category:

medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sign"):

vital sign (sign of life; usually an indicator of a person's general physical condition)

Holonyms ("sign" is a part of...):

disease (an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Having an indicated pole (as the distinction between positive and negative electric charges)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Synonyms:

polarity; sign

Context example:

charges of opposite sign

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

oppositeness; opposition (the relation between opposed entities)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sign"):

positiveness; positivity (the character of the positive electric pole)

negativeness; negativity (the character of the negative electric pole)

Sense 8

Meaning:

An event that is experienced as indicating important things to come

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

augury; foretoken; preindication; sign

Context example:

it was a sign from God

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

experience (an event as apprehended)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sign"):

war cloud (an ominous sign that war threatens)

omen; portent; presage; prodigy; prognostic; prognostication (a sign of something about to happen)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A gesture that is part of a sign language

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

gesture; motion (the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals)

Holonyms ("sign" is a part of...):

sign language; signing (language expressed by visible hand gestures)

Derivation:

sign (communicate in sign language)

sign (communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs)

signify (convey or express a meaning)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A fundamental linguistic unit linking a signifier to that which is signified

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

The bond between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

language unit; linguistic unit (one of the natural units into which linguistic messages can be analyzed)

Domain category:

linguistics (the scientific study of language)

Sense 11

Meaning:

A character indicating a relation between quantities

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

don't forget the minus sign

Hypernyms ("sign" is a kind of...):

mathematical notation (a notation used by mathematicians)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sign"):

radical sign (a sign indicating the extraction of a root)

minus sign (a sign indicating the operation of subtraction)

equal sign (a sign indicating that the quantities on either side are equal)

plus sign (a sign indicating the operation of addition)

Derivation:

signify (denote or connote)

signify (convey or express a meaning)

• SIGN (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Used of the language of the deaf

Synonyms:

gestural; sign; sign-language; signed

Similar:

communicative; communicatory (able or tending to communicate)

• SIGN (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Mark with one's signature; write one's name (on)

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

sign; subscribe

Context example:

Please sign here

Hypernyms (to "sign" is one way to...):

write (communicate or express by writing)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sign"):

rubricate (sign with a mark instead of a name)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Also:

sign away (formally assign ownership of)

sign in (announce one's arrival, e.g. at hotels or airports)

sign over (formally assign ownership of)

Derivation:

signature (your name written in your own handwriting)

signer (someone who signs and is bound by a document)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

ratify; sign

Context example:

Have you signed your contract yet?

Hypernyms (to "sign" is one way to...):

formalise; formalize; validate (declare or make legally valid)

"Sign" entails doing...:

endorse; indorse (sign as evidence of legal transfer)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

signer (someone who signs and is bound by a document)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be engaged by a written agreement

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

The soprano signed to sing the new opera

Hypernyms (to "sign" is one way to...):

contract; undertake (enter into a contractual arrangement)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sign"):

execute (sign in the presence of witnesses)

endorse; indorse (sign as evidence of legal transfer)

countersign (add one's signature to after another's to attest authenticity)

initial (mark with one's initials)

autograph; inscribe (mark with one's signature)

ink (append one's signature to)

undersign (sign at the bottom of (a document))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

signer (someone who signs and is bound by a document)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Engage by written agreement

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

contract; sign; sign on; sign up

Context example:

They signed two new pitchers for the next season

Hypernyms (to "sign" is one way to...):

employ; engage; hire (engage or hire for work)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sign"):

contract out (assign a job to someone outside one's own business)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

signer (someone who signs and is bound by a document)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

sign; signal; signalise; signalize

Context example:

The diner signaled the waiters to bring the menu

Hypernyms (to "sign" is one way to...):

communicate; intercommunicate (transmit thoughts or feelings)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sign"):

wigwag (signal by or as if by a flag or light waved according to a code)

semaphore (send signals by or as if by semaphore)

heliograph (signal by means of a mirror and the using the sun's rays)

flag (communicate or signal with a flag)

whistle (give a signal by whistling)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

They sign them the information
They sign the information to them

Derivation:

sign (any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message)

sign (a gesture that is part of a sign language)

signer (someone who can use sign language to communicate)

signing (language expressed by visible hand gestures)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Place signs, as along a road

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

This road has been signed

Hypernyms (to "sign" is one way to...):

lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

sign (structure displaying a board on which advertisements can be posted)

sign (a public display of a message)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Communicate in sign language

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

I don't know how to sign, so I could not communicate with my deaf cousin

Hypernyms (to "sign" is one way to...):

communicate; intercommunicate (transmit thoughts or feelings)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

signer (someone who can use sign language to communicate)

sign (a gesture that is part of a sign language)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Make the sign of the cross over someone in order to call on God for protection; consecrate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

bless; sign

Hypernyms (to "sign" is one way to...):

gesticulate; gesture; motion (show, express or direct through movement)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

sign (any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message)

 Context examples 

Enlargement of the nostrils during breathing; although there are many possible causes, it can be a sign of respiratory distress in young infants.

(Nasal Flaring, NCI Thesaurus)

“I didn’t sign for boat-puller, sir,” was the reply.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

There was no sign of disease, but the edges were white and worn-looking, as if by some trituration.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Several new kinds of plants sprang up in the garden, which they dressed; and these signs of comfort increased daily as the season advanced.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Cells which show sign/s, that they can become cancerous.

(Murine Premalignant Cells, NCI Thesaurus)

The snow had covered the trail, and there was no sign that men had ever come or gone that way.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

They may be signs of other problems that should be treated.

(Menstruation, NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

Forgetting how to use the telephone or find your way home may be signs of a more serious problem.

(Memory, NIH: National Institute on Aging)

His brain is as cunning as his fingers, and though we meet signs of him at every turn, we never know where to find the man himself.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Signs and symptoms usually appear early in life and vary from mild to life threatening.

(Methylmalonic Acidemia, NCI Thesaurus)