Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

signify

Syllabification: (sig·ni·fy)
Pronunciation: /ˈsignəˌfī/
Translate signify | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of signify

verb (signifies, signifying, signified)

  • 1 [with object] be an indication of:this decision signified a fundamental change in their priorities
  • be a symbol of; have as meaning:the church used this image to signify the Holy Trinity
  • (of a person) indicate or declare (a feeling or intention):signify your agreement by signing the letter below
  • [no object with negative] be of importance:the locked door doesn’t necessarily signify
  • 2 [no object] US informal (among black Americans) exchange boasts or insults as a game or ritual.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French signifier, from Latin significare 'indicate, portend', from signum 'token'

signify in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of signify in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

Word of the day

epithalamium

/ ˌɛpɪθəˈleɪmɪəm /
noun
a song or poem celebrating a marriage …