Meaning & use
signal
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Meanings
nouncountable
A gesture, sound or light that tells someone something or tells them to act.
Grammar: Often followed by to and a verb, or of and a noun: a signal to stop, a signal of danger.
Patterns
- a signal to do something
- a signal that something is happening
- give someone a signal
The referee's whistle was the signal to start the game.
She gave me a signal to stay quiet.
A red light is the signal that the road is closed.
nouncountable
Something that shows what is happening or is likely to happen.
Grammar: Often used with send: send a signal.
Patterns
- a signal of something
- a signal that something is true
The rise in prices is a signal that demand is growing.
His silence sent a clear signal that he disagreed.
A fever can be a signal that the body is fighting an infection.
nouncountabletechnical
Electrical or radio waves that carry sound, pictures or data from one place to another.
Grammar: Often a signal strength: I have no signal here.
Patterns
- lose the signal
- a weak signal
I can't call you because there is no phone signal in the valley.
The TV signal was lost during the storm.
The radio picks up the signal from a distant tower.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To tell someone something or ask them to do something by using a gesture, sound or light.
Grammar: Can take an object or to plus a verb: signal the driver, signal to turn.
Patterns
- signal to someone
- signal that something
- signal something to someone
He signaled to the waiter for the check.
The driver signaled left before turning.
The company signaled that it would raise prices.
Word forms
| plural | signals |
|---|---|
| third person singular | signals |
| past tense | signaled (British: signalled) |
| past participle | signaled (British: signalled) |
| -ing form | signaling (British: signalling) |
Common combinations
- send a signal
- The decision sends a signal that the team wants to win.
- traffic signal
- The car stopped at the traffic signal.
- warning signal
- Dizziness can be a warning signal of low blood sugar.
- mixed signals
- He kept sending mixed signals about whether he would attend.
- signal strength
- Signal strength drops sharply inside the tunnel.
- signal the end of something
- The bell signals the end of the lesson.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sign
- Sign is broader and can be any evidence or mark, while signal is usually deliberate or meant to prompt action.
- cue
- A cue is a signal that tells a performer or person when to begin something, and is narrower than signal.
- indicate
- Indicate is a more formal verb for showing something, whereas signal often implies communicating to someone in particular.
- gesture
- A gesture is a movement of the body, while a signal can also be a sound, light or electronic transmission.
Word family
Commonly confused: signal or sign?
signal vs sign
A sign is any mark, symbol or evidence, such as a road sign. A signal is something sent to prompt a reaction or carry information.
Practice
When your phone shows one bar, which sense of signal is being used?
Choose one answer.
Phone bars show the strength of the radio signal. The other options use signal in different senses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “signal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.