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# sign

«sign» in Mova's school dictionary: **a board with words or pictures that tells you something…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (sign, signs); verb (sign, signs, signed, signing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A sign is a board with words or pictures that tells you something, like a road sign or a shop sign. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#m1)

2) A sign in maths is a mark like +, −, ×, ÷ or =. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#m2)

3) A sign is something that shows that something is true or will happen: dark clouds are a sign of rain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#m3)

4) To sign is to write your name on something. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#m4)

5) To sign is also to talk with hand signs, as in sign language. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In maths: a road sign giving a distance, a price sign, or the plus, minus, times, divide and equals signs in a number sentence; a plus or minus sign names the operation. Safety: obey road signs like STOP and the green walking figure. In science: signs of spring, signs of illness. Phrases: road sign, stop sign, plus sign, sign your name, sign language, a good sign, sign up.

### examples

- The sign says the town is 12 miles away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x1)
- Put the right sign between 7 and 3 to get 10. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x2)
- The sign shows apples cost 50 cents each. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x3)
- 30 people signed the card. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x4)
- Stop at the stop sign and look both ways. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x5)
- Swallows coming back are a sign of spring. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x6)
- Please sign your name at the bottom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x7)
- My cousin uses sign language to talk with her deaf friend. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x8)
- A smile is often a sign that someone is happy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x9)
- “Read the sign and you’ll know.” [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/#x10)

### note

The g is silent: say «sine». Related: signal, signature. A plus or minus sign names the operation. Trap: a price sign gives the price of one, so multiply for many. Trap: «sign up» means to join something.

### In the corpora

- [A picket line is striking workers standing outside their workplace with signs, peacefully asking others not to go in.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/4-when-work-goes-wrong/14/)
- [Renters sign a tenancy and pay a deposit that comes back if the home is left in good condition.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/10-moving-house-and-renting-a-home/3/)
- [Being engaged means two people have promised to marry each other, and a ring is often given as a sign of the promise.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/13-dates-engagements-and-weddings/9/)
- [When people want something changed, they can protest peacefully, sign a petition, or stop work together in a strike.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/32-bad-news-protests-and-helping-others/4/)
- [A grown-up's tiredness or bad mood is usually not about the child and not a sign they are cross with them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/34-when-grown-ups-are-tired-or-worried/20/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «sign» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sign/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.