Meaning & use
autograph
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Meanings
nouncountable
A famous person's signature, often kept as a souvenir.
Grammar: Countable: an autograph, two autographs. Often used in the phrase 'sign an autograph'.
Patterns
- sign an autograph
- get an autograph
- ask for an autograph
The young fan asked the singer for an autograph.
She has a collection of autographs from famous actors.
He signed autographs for an hour after the show.
verbtransitive
To write your signature on something, especially for a fan or admirer.
Grammar: Takes an object: autograph a book. Often used in the passive: The book was autographed by the author.
Patterns
- autograph a book
- autograph a photo
- autograph something for someone
The author autographed copies of her new novel.
He autographed the baseball for the young boy.
The actor autographed posters at the premiere.
Word forms
| plural | autographs |
|---|---|
| third person singular | autographs |
| past tense | autographed |
| past participle | autographed |
| -ing form | autographing |
Common combinations
- sign an autograph
- The celebrity signed autographs for the crowd.
- get an autograph
- I got an autograph from my favorite player.
- ask for an autograph
- She was too shy to ask for an autograph.
- autograph a book
- The author autographed a book for me.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- autographed adjective
- Having a signature written on it, especially by a famous person.
Commonly confused: autograph or signature?
autograph vs signature
A signature is any person's name written by themselves; an autograph is typically a famous person's signature kept as a memento.
Practice
After the concert, many fans waited outside to get the singer's ______.
Choose one answer.
Autograph is the noun for a famous person's signature kept as a souvenir. Signature is a general term for anyone's name written by themselves; autobiography is a life story; autographing is a verb form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “autograph”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.