1An object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else.

1. 1.1 Something regarded as an indication of what is happening or going to happen.
   the signs are that counterfeiting is growing at an alarming rate

   Example sentencesExamples

   • While the signs are that he is taking a vigorous approach to cabinet discipline, we hope to hear soon that he has also done that strategic, visionary thinking.
   • But so far, the signs are that that won't put Kenyans off, voting Kibaki in.
   • All the signs are, then, that more and more vessels carrying petroleum will be frequenting these waters in coming years.
   • But this time, the signs are very promising that change is on the way.
   • In the longer term, it is hoped that the strategy will improve customer retention and the signs are that this is happening.
   • The signs were there that the country would not tolerate that, so the attack should have surprised few intelligent people.
   • All the signs were that they would not co-operate.
   • If that happens, and the signs are increasingly that it will, a historic turning point will have been reached.
   • The signs were already there, however, that Hawick's pack might hold the key to this victory, because they were dominant in the tight situations.
   • The signs are that his wish is about to be answered.
   • Are hostile reactions to change a sign that cultural adaptation is already under way?
   • Like future terrorist acts, we can't be absolutely certain what will happen, but all the signs are there.
   • ‘The signs are my game is coming back,’ said Westwood after Muirfield.
   • All the signs are, though, that the merger of CGU with Norwich Union to form the UK's largest insurance company could be good news for York.
   • We haven't seen any clear signs indicating the industry is approaching bottom.
   • The signs are that an even larger storm is coming soon.
   • The signs were that the presidency could ultimately be decided in the big swing states of Ohio and Florida.
   • Your reaction to your recent birthday may be a sign that you are dissatisfied with your life in more general terms.
   • Hemingbrough are struggling to come to terms with life in the top division although the signs are that they are improving despite their reversal at Stockton and Hopgrove.
   • So if you were hoping all the pointless, stupid controversy of the 2000 election would come to an end after this November, the signs aren't good.

   Synonyms

   portent, omen, warning, forewarning, augury, presage

   promise, threat, hint
2. 1.2with negative Used to indicate that someone or something is not where they should be or are expected to be.
   there was still no sign of her

   Example sentencesExamples

   • There was still no sign of any police ten minutes after I phoned them so I made a decision.
   • There was no sign of a campaign of civil disobedience planned by water sports enthusiasts.
   • Using her own set of keys, she let herself in but there was no sign of her mother.
   • Across the room and to the right is a young woman and again there's no sign of a baby.
   • Still, with no sign of the kids, I hope we don't have a repeat performance this evening.
   • With no sign of John, I did my best to keep the conversation going and the glasses full.
   • There was no sign of any food or water in the buildings in which they were kept.
   • There is a no sign of an end to the influx, with tens of thousands more expected to arrive in the next few months.
   • I just bend down to lift the handle of my suitcase and as I come up there is no sign of Frank anywhere.
   • But there was no sign of the hesitation in their play or lack of creativity in attack.
   • There was still no sign of it five days later, and so began two weeks of hell.
   • At midnight, with no sign of Sandy, we left some sandwiches in the drawing room and went to bed.
   • They may be on the verge of an appointment but there's no sign of an announcement as yet.
   • There's no sign of any of them as I enter the town early one sunny Friday morning.
   • A few minutes later they found her bicycle and newspapers in the road but there was no sign of Genette.
   • Say you've ordered your meal, and some time has passed and there's no sign of it.
   • We need a proper debate about it, but there is no sign of one at the moment.
   • I went down all the alleyways and garages and called his name, but I there was no sign of him not even a meow.
   • Another week had passed, after all, and still there was no sign of new arrivals.
   • He went into the room and saw the window was broken, but no sign of his brother.
3. 1.3Medicine An indication of a disease detectable by a medical practitioner even if not apparent to the patient.
   clinical signs of liver disease

   Compare with symptom

   Example sentencesExamples

   • These signs can indicate the presence of Insulin Resistance which may later manifest as frank diabetes.
   • None of the patients had clinical signs of ulcerogenic disease.
   • Finally, a subject who is asymptomatic, with no signs of liver disease should be labelled as a healthy carrier.
   • Contracture of the palmar fascia, like palmar erythema, is often cited as a sign of chronic liver disease.
   • Patients who demonstrated signs of angina pectoris or severe arrhythmia or had diabetes mellitus were excluded from our study.
4. 1.4 A miracle regarded as evidence of supernatural power (chiefly in biblical and literary use)
   he observed signs and miracles taking place

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The Pharisees and Sadducees came looking for a sign and the signs were all around them.
   • For the church after Acts did not have the miracles and signs of the kingdom, but the truth concerning the church which is the body of Christ.
   • In that era, the French and the Germans, like the British, believed their wealth and power were divine signs of their virtue.
   • The Jewish people were accustomed to the concept of signs and wonders.
   • Whilst some say cases such as these are mere coincidence others believe they are miracles and signs from God.
5. 1.5North American mass noun The trail of a wild animal.
   wolverine sign

   Example sentencesExamples

   • But the signs were puzzling as they led us to every type of animal, from penguins to lions, EXCEPT the giant panda.
   • However, the interpretation of sign at nests to classify nest predators was almost wholly ineffective.

2A gesture or action used to convey information or an instruction.

1. 2.1 An action or reaction that conveys something about someone.
   she gave no sign of having seen him

   Example sentencesExamples

   • I might even say that such a reaction is a sign of profound ingratitude.
   • He seemed like he was talking about someone else, without any sign of shame and remorse, and without any emotional involvement.
   • Zelda's eyes widened at this unexpected reaction, but other than that she showed no signs of fear.
   • He always accepted the smallest invitation or the most insignificant present with outward signs of pleasure.
   • She tried to find some sign of understanding in his eyes but they seemed vacant, as if he were in a dream.
   • But on Sunday he displayed no obvious signs of distress and bowled quite comfortably.
   • When I chose to go away to Bombay and entered Hindi films, he never ever said a word about it, let alone gave any sign of reproach.
   • They said they would have liked to have seen some obvious sign of remorse from the young man.
   • Tara said happily, but the sign of hunger and boredom lingered in her eyes.
   • He stood up ‘Let's go’ he said as I presented no signs of moving from my seat.
2. 2.2 A gesture used in a system of sign language.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • You see, sign language contains no signs for abstract words and notions.
   • These findings suggest that the addition of signs to speech facilitates word recognition by deaf children.
   • He said the church was currently running classes for its members and that it expected the number of those able to communicate through signs, to increase.
   • Use is made of repeated signs to convey such notions as plurality, degree, or emphasis.
   • The system is based on simple signs and gestures derived from British Sign Language for the deaf taught through song.
   • Because ASL is based on natural gestures, most signs are incredibly easy to learn.
3. 2.3
   short for sign language

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Every classroom should have a deaf teacher as well as one who can hear so that children are exposed to both sign and spoken language simultaneously.
4. 2.4 A symbol or word used to represent an operation, instruction, concept, or object in algebra, music, or other subjects.
   the integral sign ∫

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It begins with signs (graphemes and words) building to propositions which attempt to develop perception.
   • The website is a brilliant resource for details on various symbols and signs and perfect for sigil ideas.
   • The earliest forms of writing used simple pictorial signs to represent objects.
   • The addition signs represent the interaction of the reactants and are used to separate and list the products formed.
   • A symbol is a sign used to represent something other than itself.
   • For Lacan, the ego is not the central agency of the personality but a false self haunted by the unconscious and conceptualized around linguistic signs.
   • Double-bodied, or bi-corporeal signs are those represented by two figures.
   • In claiming, in this book, that language is essentially symbolic, I am alluding to the status of linguistic signs as symbols, rather than as icons or indexes.
   • The sign hamza also represents a glottal stop and is transliterated in the same way.
   • He writes on a white pad of paper, wavy lines and strange signs, mathematical symbols.
   • In cuneiform writing, words are represented by signs incised into clay tablets by a wedge-shaped instrument.
   • Ge'ez is easily adapted to melody because each sign represents a syllable.
   • This request presented the informant with a problem, for he had no conception of signs representing just a vowel or a consonant, and for a long time his efforts were derided.
   • The linguistic sign is neither conceptual nor phonic, neither thought nor sound.
   • Thus axioms and theorems can never try to lay down the meaning of a sign or word that occurs in them, but it must already be laid down.
   • The short appoggiatura was then notated by the new sign.
   • When using the formula, pay close attention to arithmetic signs and treat them algebraically.

   Synonyms

   symbol, mark, cipher, letter, character, numeral, figure, type, code, hieroglyph

   signifier, ideogram, logogram, graph

   rune, diacritic, representation, emblem, device, badge, insignia, arms, coat of arms, crest, logo

   (signs), writing, hieroglyphics
5. 2.5 A word or gesture given according to prior arrangement as a means of identification; a password.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Many marginalists use non-verbal codes - private signs and symbols recognised only by them.

3A notice on public display that gives information or instructions in a written or symbolic form.

4Astrology
Each of the twelve equal sections into which the zodiac is divided, named from the constellations formerly situated in each, and associated with successive periods of the year according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic.

5Mathematics
The positiveness or negativeness of a quantity.

1with object Write one's name on (a letter, card, document, etc.) to identify oneself as the writer or sender.

1. 1.1 Authorize (a document or other written or printed material) by attaching a signature.
   the two countries signed a non-aggression treaty

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Yesterday the Minister for the Environment signed the Packaging Accord.
   • Work on restoring the building will start early next year after contracts have been signed and detailed plans have been drawn-up.
   • I slid over a crisp dollar bill as my initial deposit, and signed the papers.
   • Once this document is signed - which is expected imminently - it's obviously too late to change anything.
   • Adnan said the defence team had visited Amrozi in jail today and he signed a document authorising them to appeal the conviction and sentence.
   • A user's card then contains their private key and a certificate, signed by the card issuer, to confirm their public key value.
   • The document is signed by two witnesses, and has the standing of a legally binding agreement.
   • That was how he looked when she went down to the mortuary to identify his body and sign the necessary documents.
   • Britain in particular would be far better off signing a free-trade agreement with the USA.
   • A ceasefire signed in February 2002 remains in place but talks have been stalled since this April.
   • Important markets such as the US, Japan and south Korea have not signed the Patents Co-operation Treaty that was designed to harmonise patent rules.
   • When the Soviet Union signed the SALT I Treaty, it chose to build its ABM sites around Moscow and Leningrad.
   • In May 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the SALT I Agreement.
   • A second possible, but again unusual, situation is where a loan document is signed but requires further agreement on particular matters.
   • In fact, only one of the many workers fired for independent union activity has been rehired, and not a single contract has been signed with an independent union.
   • The transfer was valid at the time the document was signed and this has no bearing on the matters at hand.
   • Unfortunately, my prospective employers needed a copy of my degree before they could sign such a contract.
   • Unsurprisingly, we are also selling to the Gaddafi government in Libya, another nation which has not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention.
   • Couples sign the partnership document in the presence of two witnesses and a Civil Partnership Registrar.
   • In 1997, the U.S. and 65 other countries signed the Chemical Weapons Convention.

   Synonyms

   endorse, validate, certify, authenticate, authorize, sanction, legalize, put into effect, enact

   agree to, approve, ratify, adopt, say yes to, give one's approval to, rubber-stamp

   informal give something the go-ahead, give something the green light, OK, give something the OK, give something the thumbs up
2. 1.2 Write (one's name) for purposes of identification or authorization.
   she signed her name in the book

   with object and complement she signed herself Imogen

   no object he signed on the dotted line

   Example sentencesExamples

   • She even autographed it, signing George's name as a bonus.
   • She never learned to write and could only sign her name with a cross.
   • Please show your support by signing your name on the sheet provided.
   • He writes it down, signs his name, and hands the paper to a clerk.
   • When you are happy with it, write it down at least twenty times and sign your name to it each time.
   • The name changed to Dürer but Albrecht Dürer senior always signed himself Türer rather than Dürer.
   • On the back of the card the instructor wrote, ‘D. talks too much,’ and signed his name.
   • They have signed all the autographs, laughed and joked among themselves and smiled upon all who smiled.
   • ‘These homeless are bums, nothing but leeches on society,’ wrote a guy who signed himself Trav.
   • He signed himself Dave, which may or may not be his real name.
   • They will then be on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and will perform a few hits to entertain the audience.
   • More than 200 people have already signed their names and written messages of support since the book opened.
   • It eventually worked and I carefully signed my clearest signature for years before having it held up to the light again.
   • Deciding to keep it simple he wrote two quick lines then signed his name.
   • Personally, I can't remember the last time I wrote in cursive other than signing my name.
   • He wrote a brief message to her and signed his name in flowing but not too neat script that he obviously hadn't spent time perfecting.
   • Amos was able to identify the photo of a man whose first name was signed Mohamed, but he could not make out the last name, he said.
   • Accepting every word, Ford authorized Bennett to sign his name to the statement.
   • Each one wrote a sentence or two and then signed his name.
   • I'd like to thank the authors who signed their names to the very eloquent letter.

   Synonyms

   autograph, endorse, witness, initial, put one's mark on, countersign, re-sign

   Law set one's hand to, subscribe

   archaic underwrite, style

   rare chirographate
3. 1.3 Engage (someone, typically a sports player or a musician) to work for one by signing a contract with them.
   the manager plans to sign a new goalkeeper

   Example sentencesExamples

   • They spent a year in Oakland trying to get signed to a record label.
   • The players are signed to long term contracts, and if US interests want the player, they have to pay his team for his services.
   • According to his adviser there are many other clubs interested in signing the former Gremio player.
   • Over the past three or four months I signed the best players at Barnet on new two year contracts and they are beyond Brentford's price range.
   • The Aberdeen manager is constantly in the papers talking about signing players who are contracted to other clubs.
   • Other managements across Europe have continued to sign players who are out of contract or who have been released by their clubs.
   • The team signed former Bill Jonathan Linton to be the top backup to George.
   • These clubs often wait for a contract to expire before signing a player, in order to eliminate any transfer fee involved.
   • Not since the early 1980s, when they reached two European Cup finals and signed European Player of the Year Keegan, has there been such expectation.
   • Bethlehem Records signed her in 1957 and two years later, her heartbreaking version of Gershwin's hit sold over a million records.
   • Also, we signed the band in the 80s, so we had a variety of successes.
   • He will need to find cover for the start of next season, be it in renewing a contract or signing a new player.
   • Colin Todd may ditch plans to sign a left-sided player if he can land two centre forwards.
   • Everyone wishes they could have signed their own Velvet Underground; that's the history of the interesting side of rock and roll.
   • Will the Hearts manager stay if he has no control over signing new players?
   • Two years ago, 860 foreign-born players were signed to professional contracts by major league clubs.
   • The Hawks were serious about signing Curry - they had jerseys and specially edited videos made for a two-day visit to Atlanta.
   • He is looking for more offense and has indicated he wants to sign a major free agent.
   • Harper is signed through next season, but he might call it quits after this season, even if he helps the Lakers to a championship.
   • With sadness, Hudson told Gazza that he wasn't going to be right for the club and signed the American player Ernie Stewart instead.

   Synonyms

   recruit, hire, engage, employ, take on, appoint, take into one's employ, take into employment, contract, put on the payroll, sign on/up, enrol, enlist

   dated take into service
4. 1.4no object Commit oneself to work by signing a contract.
   a new striker has signed for Blackburn

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Perhaps the biggest key to his success is not signing to a major label.
   • "We just signed to a new label called Anubis, " explains DJ / producer Nabi.
   • Flushed with the success of the film, he has just signed to direct the third Harry Potter movie.
   • She has the plain Jane Mallu looks and has signed with two big directors and top heroes.
   • The move, coming shortly after she signed to Warners, signalled the opening of a whole new chapter in her life.
   • I will be visiting Carla shortly to make sure her son signs for Bessbrook United.
   • Rahman's promoter Cedric Kushner files lawsuits in all directions when the fighter makes attempts to sign with Don King.
   • I just spoke with one of my old high school friends who informed me he had just signed with the 2004 Trek West Coast Factory Team.
   • Those that have already signed are defenders Mark Hotte, Steve Baker and Paul Shepherd, with Shaun Rennison poised to join them.
   • Holland moved to the bench when Mayberry signed as a free agent in the off season.
   • The band has signed to Primary Voltage Records, who will put out their LP later this year.
   • He also urged greater price transparency so that customers are better informed when deciding to sign with a supplier.
   • Later I signed with director Vinayan for Satyam opposite Pritviraj.

2no object Use gestures to convey information or instructions.

1. 2.1 Communicate in sign language.
   she was learning to sign

   Example sentencesExamples

   • She recently completed a Level One exam in sign-language, and signed to the audience what it means for her to be chosen to enter this competition.
   • After ripping a steel sink from its moorings, the ape - famous for using sign language - signed to claim that her tiny pet kitten had done the damage
   • Mr Maxwell, whose speciality is French and English starters, can lip read quite well but can only speak a few words, so he relies on signing to communicate.
2. 2.2with object Express or perform (something) in sign language.
   the Deaf Association Choir signed the hymns

   the theatre routinely puts on signed performances

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The woman doing sign language during the broadcast instead signed to viewers the election was a fraud.
   • Koko is famous for knowing sign language, and she was able to sign to her handlers in California that she had a toothache.
   • He has also learnt sign language and can now sign 30 words and speak them clearly.

3with object Indicate with signposts or other markers.

4archaic with object Mark or consecrate with the sign of the cross.