Meaning & use
sign off on
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Meaning
verbphrasal verbbusiness
To formally approve a plan, document or decision, often by signing it.
Grammar: Takes an object after on: the director signed off on the budget.
Patterns
- sign off on something
The manager signed off on the new design this morning.
We cannot start until the board signs off on the budget.
She refused to sign off on the report until the numbers were checked.
Word forms
| third person singular | signs off on |
|---|---|
| past tense | signed off on |
| past participle | signed off on |
| -ing form | signing off on |
Common combinations
- sign off on a plan
- The director must sign off on the plan.
- sign off on the budget
- Finance has to sign off on the budget first.
- refuse to sign off on
- The auditor refused to sign off on the accounts.
- formally sign off on
- The council will formally sign off on the project next week.
- wait for someone to sign off on something
- We are waiting for legal to sign off on the contract.
Synonyms and how they differ
- approve
- Approve is more general and can be spoken or written, whereas sign off on suggests formal or documented approval.
- authorize
- Authorize is more formal and stresses giving official permission to act.
- endorse
- Endorse is public support of something, not necessarily an official approval.
- green-light
- Green-light is informal and means allow to go ahead, without the sense of signing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sign off on or sign off?
sign off on vs sign off
Sign off without on can mean to end a message or broadcast, while sign off on means to approve.
Practice
The project cannot begin until the director ____ the final design.
Choose one answer.
Signs off on means gives official approval. Signs up for means joins, and signs in to means logs in.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sign off on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.