Signal — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message

any incitement to action

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/sˈɪɡnəl/

🇬🇧British English

/sˈɪɡnəl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/sˈɪɡnəl/

2 syllables Say it as /sˈɪɡnəl/.

Examples

signals from the boat suddenly stopped
he awaited the signal to start
the victory was a signal for wild celebration

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

signalize sign betoken bespeak signalise point signaling indicate

Parts of Speech

noun	any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message “signals from the boat suddenly stopped”
noun	any incitement to action “he awaited the signal to start”
noun	an electric quantity (voltage or current or field strength) whose modulation represents coded information about the source from which it comes
verb	communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs “He signed his disapproval with a dismissive hand gesture”
verb	be a signal for or a symptom of “These symptoms indicate a serious illness”
adjective	notably out of the ordinary “the year saw one signal triumph for the Labour party”

Word Forms

signal	verb	be a signal for or a symptom of
signalize	verb	provide with traffic signals
sign	verb	make the sign of the cross over someone in order to call on God for protection; consecrate
signify	verb	convey or express a meaning
sign	noun	any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
signer	noun	someone who can use sign language to communicate
signing	noun	language expressed by visible hand gestures
signal	noun	any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
signaller	noun	someone who communicates by signals
signaler	noun	someone who communicates by signals
signaling	noun	any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
indicative	adjective	(usually followed by `of') pointing out or revealing clearly
indication	noun	(medicine) a reason to prescribe a drug or perform a procedure
indicant	noun	something that serves to indicate or suggest
indicator	noun	a signal for attracting attention

Around the World

Europe

🇪🇸Spanish

señal

cualquier acción o gesto no verbal que codifica un mensaje

🇮🇹Italian

segnale

qualsiasi azione o gesto non verbale che codifica un messaggio

🇳🇱Dutch

signaal

elke non-verbale actie of gebaar dat een bericht codeert

🇵🇹Portuguese

sinal

qualquer ação ou gesto não-verbal que codifica uma mensagem

🇷🇺Russian

сигнал

любое невербальное действие или жест, кодирующий сообщение

India

🇮🇳Hindi

संकेत

कोई भी अशाब्दिक क्रिया या इशारा जो किसी संदेश को कूटबद्ध करता है

🇧🇩Bengali

সংকেত

কোনো অমৌখিক ক্রিয়া বা অঙ্গভঙ্গি যা একটি বার্তা এনকোড করে

🇮🇳Tamil

சமிக்ஞை

ஒரு செய்தியை குறியீடாக்கும் வார்த்தைகள் அல்லாத செயல் அல்லது சைகை

🇮🇳Telugu

సిగ్నల్

సందేశాన్ని ఎన్కోడ్ చేసే ఏదైనా అశాబ్దిక చర్య లేదా సంజ్ఞ

🇮🇳Marathi

सिग्नल

संदेश एन्कोड करणारी कोणतीही गैर-मौखिक क्रिया किंवा जेश्चर

🇮🇳Gujarati

સંકેત

કોઈપણ બિનમૌખિક ક્રિયા અથવા હાવભાવ કે જે સંદેશને એન્કોડ કરે છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸಂಕೇತ

ಸಂದೇಶವನ್ನು ಎನ್ಕೋಡ್ ಮಾಡುವ ಯಾವುದೇ ಅಮೌಖಿಕ ಕ್ರಿಯೆ ಅಥವಾ ಗೆಸ್ಚರ್

🇮🇳Malayalam

സിഗ്നൽ

ഒരു സന്ദേശം എൻകോഡ് ചെയ്യുന്ന ഏതെങ്കിലും വാക്കേതര പ്രവർത്തനമോ ആംഗ്യമോ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸਿਗਨਲ

ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਗੈਰ-ਮੌਖਿਕ ਕਿਰਿਆ ਜਾਂ ਸੰਕੇਤ ਜੋ ਸੰਦੇਸ਼ ਨੂੰ ਏਨਕੋਡ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

سگنل

کوئی بھی غیر زبانی عمل یا اشارہ جو پیغام کو انکوڈ کرتا ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

信号

任何编码信息的非语言动作或手势

🇯🇵Japanese

信号

メッセージをエンコードする非言語的なアクションまたはジェスチャー

🇰🇷Korean

신호

메시지를 인코딩하는 비언어적 행동이나 몸짓

🇻🇳Vietnamese

tín hiệu

bất kỳ hành động hoặc cử chỉ phi ngôn ngữ nào mã hóa một tin nhắn

🇹🇭Thai

สัญญาณ

การกระทำที่ไม่ใช่คำพูดหรือท่าทางที่เข้ารหัสข้อความ

🇮🇩Indonesian

sinyal

tindakan atau isyarat nonverbal apa pun yang menyandikan pesan

🇵🇭Filipino

hudyat

anumang nonverbal na aksyon o kilos na nag-encode ng mensahe

🇲🇾Malay

isyarat

sebarang tindakan atau gerak isyarat bukan lisan yang mengekod mesej

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

إشارة

أي إجراء أو إيماءة غير لفظية تقوم بتشفير الرسالة

🇮🇷Persian

سیگنال

هر حرکت یا حرکت غیرکلامی که پیامی را رمزگذاری می کند

🇹🇷Turkish

sinyal

bir mesajı kodlayan herhangi bir sözsüz eylem veya jest

🇮🇱Hebrew

אוֹת

כל פעולה או מחווה לא מילולית המקודדת מסר

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'signal'?

The primary meaning of 'signal' is 'any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'signal' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'signal' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'signal' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'signal' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'signal' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'signal' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'signal' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'signal' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'signal' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'signal' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted