Definition Definition

sign - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'sign' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Sign [ n.]
- That by which anything is made known or represented; that which furnishes evidence; a mark; a token; an indication; a proof.
- A remarkable event, considered by the ancients as indicating the will of some deity; a prodigy; an omen.
- An event considered by the Jews as indicating the divine will, or as manifesting an interposition of the divine power for some special end; a miracle; a wonder.
- Something serving to indicate the existence, or preserve the memory, of a thing; a token; a memorial; a monument.
- Any symbol or emblem which prefigures, typifles, or represents, an idea; a type; hence, sometimes, a picture.
- A word or a character regarded as the outward manifestation of thought; as, words are the sign of ideas.
- A motion, an action, or a gesture by which a thought is expressed, or a command or a wish made known.
- Hence, one of the gestures of pantomime, or of a language of a signs such as those used by the North American Indians, or those used by the deaf and dumb.
- A military emblem carried on a banner or a standard.
- A lettered board, or other conspicuous notice, placed upon or before a building, room, shop, or office to advertise the business there transacted, or the name of the person or firm carrying it on; a publicly displayed token or notice.
- The twelfth part of the ecliptic or zodiac.
- A character indicating the relation of quantities, or an operation performed upon them; as, the sign + (plus); the sign -- (minus); the sign of division Ö, and the like.
- An objective evidence of disease; that is, one appreciable by some one other than the patient.
- Any character, as a flat, sharp, dot, etc.
- That which, being external, stands for, or signifies, something internal or spiritual; -- a term used in the Church of England in speaking of an ordinance considered with reference to that which it represents.
- To represent by a sign; to make known in a typical or emblematic manner, in distinction from speech; to signify.
- To make a sign upon; to mark with a sign.
- To affix a signature to; to ratify by hand or seal; to subscribe in one's own handwriting.
- To assign or convey formally; -- used with away.
- To mark; to make distinguishable.
2 . Sign [ v. i.]
- To be a sign or omen.
- To make a sign or signal; to communicate directions or intelligence by signs.
- To write one's name, esp. as a token of assent, responsibility, or obligation.

Meaning of 'sign' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . sign [ n]
Meaning (1):
- having an indicated pole (as the distinction between positive and negative electric charges)
Example in sentence:
  • charges of opposite sign;
  • he got the polarity of the battery reversed
Meaning (2):
- a character indicating a relation between quantities
Example in sentence:
  • don't forget the minus sign
Meaning (3):
- an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come
Example in sentence:
  • he hoped it was an augury;
  • it was a sign from God
Meaning (4):
- a public display of a message
Example in sentence:
  • he posted signs in all the shop windows
Meaning (5):
- a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
Example in sentence:
  • he showed signs of strain;
  • they welcomed the signs of spring
Meaning (6):
- any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
Example in sentence:
  • signals from the boat suddenly stopped
Meaning (7):
- a fundamental linguistic unit linking a signifier to that which is signified
Example in sentence:
  • The bond between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary
Meaning (8):
- structure displaying a board on which advertisements can be posted
Example in sentence:
  • the highway was lined with signboards
Meaning (9):
- (medicine) any objective evidence of the presence of a disorder or disease
Example in sentence:
  • there were no signs of asphyxiation
10 . sign [ v]
Meaning (10):
- approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation
Example in sentence:
  • All parties ratified the peace treaty;
  • Have you signed your contract yet?
Meaning (11):
- communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs
Example in sentence:
  • He signed his disapproval with a dismissive hand gesture;
  • The diner signaled the waiters to bring the menu
Meaning (12):
- be engaged by a written agreement
Example in sentence:
  • He signed to play the casino on Dec. 18;
  • The soprano signed to sing the new opera
Meaning (13):
- communicate in sign language
Example in sentence:
  • I don't know how to sign, so I could not communicate with my deaf cousin
Meaning (14):
- mark with one's signature; write one's name (on)
Example in sentence:
  • Please sign here;
  • She signed the letter and sent it off
Meaning (15):
- place signs, as along a road
Example in sentence:
  • sign an intersection;
  • This road has been signed
Meaning (16):
- engage by written agreement
Example in sentence:
  • They signed two new pitchers for the next season