Sign Meaning
/saɪn/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA visible fact that shows that something exists or may happen.
nounA visible fact that shows that something exists or may happen., An omen.
Sentence Examples
To have doubts about oneself is the first sign of intelligence.
I am alive even though I am not giving any sign of life.
Sign your name in the blank space below.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The large red ____ on the front door warned people to stay out.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The bright neon ____ outside the theater announced that the performance was completely sold out.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English signe, sygne, syng, seine, sine, syne, from Old English seġn (“sign; mark; token”) and Old French signe, seing (“sign; mark; signature”); both from Latin signum (“a mark; sign; token”); root uncertain. Doublet of signum and signal. Partially displaced native token.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited."
— 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
"No, I don't know why you're not fair / I give you my love, but you don't care / So what is right and what is wrong? / Gimme a sign"
— 1993 January 18, Dee Dee Halligan, Junior Torello, “What Is Love”, in The Album, performed by Haddaway:
"The sound of the Orlando dinner train whistle reminds me that it ' s already Friday, an auditory sign. Another auditory sign, a distant thunder clap, warns me of limited computer time before our evening thunderstorm moves in."
— 2000, Geoffrey McGuinness, Carmen McGuinness, How to Increase Your Child's Verbal Intelligence: The Language Wise Method, Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 38:
"Animal sign is the key to eliminating guesswork when setting your traps. Only trap where there is sign. Sign is anything the animal leaves as a trace that indicates it may have passed through the area."
— 2015, Dave Canterbury, Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival, page 127:
"The shops were, therefore, distinguished by painted signs, which gave a gay and grotesque aspect to the streets."
— 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter III, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The large red ____ on the front door warned people to stay out.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The bright neon ____ outside the theater announced that the performance was completely sold out.