What does signing mean?
Signing has several related meanings, most commonly the act of adding one's name or mark to a document. In legal and business contexts, it refers to executing an agreement, while “the signing” may also denote the formal occasion when a contract is completed. In entertainment contexts, the word can mean the provision of autographs. A further sense describes the use of hand movements, gestures, and facial expression to communicate, especially in deaf and sign-language communities. Signing is not the same as singing: it relies on written symbols or deliberate physical movements rather than voiced language. The word is generally uncountable when describing the action, although “a signing” is natural for a particular event. It also occurs in familiar expressions such as “contract signing,” “signing ceremony,” and “signing bonus,” the last especially in American professional sports.
nounThe act of signing a document, contract, or record, or the process of using sign language. It can also refer to an autograph or to an occasion at which an agreement is formally signed.
- The act of adding one's signature to a document, agreement, or official record.
- An event or occasion at which documents or contracts are formally signed.
- The collection of autographs, or the practice of obtaining a celebrity's autograph.
- The communication of language through hand movements, gestures, and facial expressions rather than speech.
"The contract signing took place in front of representatives from both organizations."
"Her signing of the agreement cleared the way for the project to begin."
"Deaf students developed an impressive signing of the national anthem together."
Used mainly for separate occasions on which documents are signed, or for multiple instances of that activity.
"The two signings took place in different cities on consecutive days."
Your autograph is essentially a visual signature: its name comes from the same Latin root for a sign or mark that survives in words such as signature and signify.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of signing
The noun signing is derived from the verb sign, whose broader sense of marking or indicating developed from the Latin signum, meaning “sign,” “mark,” or “symbol.” The same Latin root underlies signature, signify, consign, and insignia. Its specialized sense for using gestures to communicate is associated with the development of organized sign languages and with the historical use of signed communication in deaf communities.
Related word forms
How signing is actually used
When referring to the act of adding a signature, “signing” is commonly uncountable, as in “the signing of the contract.” It is countable when it means a separate event, especially in business, sports, and entertainment contexts. The sense involving sign language is usually used with “a,” “in,” or “through,” as in “communication through signing.”
Easily confused with signing
Signing involves written symbols or hand movements, whereas singing produces vocal sounds.
Signing means adding a signature, while resigning means formally leaving a position or organization.