Meaning & use
sign
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Meanings
nouncountable
A board, symbol or notice displayed in public to give information, directions or warnings.
Grammar: Countable: a road sign, two signs.
Patterns
- a sign saying something
- a sign for something
The sign at the entrance says the pool closes at nine.
Follow the signs to the airport when you reach the highway.
A warning sign was hung on the broken door.
nouncountable
Something that shows that a thing exists or is happening, or points to what may come.
Grammar: Countable; often followed by of or that: a sign of trouble, a sign that she was nervous.
Patterns
- a sign of something
- a sign that...
Dark clouds are often a sign of rain.
His shaking hands were a clear sign of nerves.
There was no sign of the missing keys.
nouncountable
A movement, sound or gesture that communicates a message.
Grammar: Countable; often with give or make: she gave a sign to leave.
Patterns
- give someone a sign
- make a sign
The captain gave a sign and the crew lowered the sail.
He made the sign of a thumbs up through the window.
Wait until I give you a sign before you begin.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To write your name on something to show you agree, wrote it, or approve it.
Grammar: Takes an object (sign the form) or stands alone (sign here).
Patterns
- sign something
- sign for something
- sign up for something
Please sign the form at the bottom.
The delivery driver asked me to sign for the package.
The author signed copies of her book for fans.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To use sign language, or to hire someone to a team or company by having them sign a contract.
Grammar: Can be used without an object for sign language; takes an object for hiring: sign a player.
Patterns
- sign a player
- sign to someone
She learned to sign so she could talk with her deaf cousin.
The club signed a young goalkeeper on a three-year deal.
The singer signed with a small record label.
Word forms
| plural | signs |
|---|---|
| third person singular | signs |
| past tense | signed |
| past participle | signed |
| -ing form | signing |
Common combinations
- road sign
- A road sign warned drivers of a sharp curve.
- sign of life
- There was no sign of life in the old house.
- sign a contract
- The company will sign a contract on Monday.
- sign of the times
- Empty shops are a sign of the times in many towns.
- warning sign
- Persistent tiredness can be a warning sign of illness.
- sign up
- I signed up for the evening class last week.
Synonyms and how they differ
- signal
- Signal usually means a planned action meant to start something, while sign can be accidental evidence.
- indication
- Indication is more formal and stresses something that points toward a conclusion.
- notice
- Notice is a written message put up for people to read, which is narrower than sign.
- autograph
- Autograph refers to a famous person's signature, whereas sign is a plain action everyone does.
Word family
- signature noun
- your name written in your own hand
- signal noun
- a gesture or sound that sends a message
- signage noun
- signs as a group
- signatory noun
- a person who signs an official agreement
- insignificant adjective
- too small to matter
Commonly confused: sign or sine?
sign vs sine
Sine is a mathematical function and sounds the same as sign, but it has nothing to do with notices or signatures.
Practice
The doctor said a constant cough can be a ___ of a bigger problem.
Choose one answer.
A sign of something means evidence of it. 'Signal' is possible in other contexts but takes a different pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sign”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.