'Signify' definitions:
Definition of 'signify'
(from WordNet)
verb
Denote or connote; "`maison' means `house' in French"; "An example sentence would show what this word means" [syn: mean, intend, signify, stand for]
verb
Convey or express a meaning; "These words mean nothing to me!"; "What does his strange behavior signify?"
verb
Make known with a word or signal; "He signified his wish to pay the bill for our meal"
Definition of 'Signify'
From: GCIDE
- Signify \Sig"ni*fy\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Signified; p. pr. & vb. n. Signifying.] [F. signifier, L. significare; signum a sign + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Sign, n., and -fy.]
- 1. To show by a sign; to communicate by any conventional token, as words, gestures, signals, or the like; to announce; to make known; to declare; to express; as, a signified his desire to be present. [1913 Webster]
- I 'll to the king; and signify to him That thus I have resign'd my charge to you. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- The government should signify to the Protestants of Ireland that want of silver is not to be remedied. --Swift. [1913 Webster]
- 2. To mean; to import; to denote; to betoken. [1913 Webster]
- He bade her tell him what it signified. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
- A tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- Note: Signify is often used impersonally; as, it signifies nothing, it does not signify, that is, it is of no importance. [1913 Webster]
- Syn: To express; manifest; declare; utter; intimate; betoken; denote; imply; mean. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'signify'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- add up to,
- amount to something,
- announce,
- approve,
- argue,
- assign,
- attest,
- augur,
- be construed as,
- be featured,
- be indicative of,
- be prominent,
- be significant of,
- be somebody,
- be something,
- be symptomatic of,
- bear,
- bespeak,
- betoken,
- breathe,
- carry,
- carry weight,
- characterize,
- communicate,
- connote,
- convey,
- count,
- cut ice,
- cut some ice,
- declare,
- demonstrate,
- denominate,
- denote,
- designate,
- determine,
- differentiate,
- disclose,
- display,
- divine,
- entail,
- evidence,
- evince,
- exhibit,
- express,
- fix,
- foretoken,
- furnish evidence,
- get top billing,
- give evidence,
- give indication of,
- give token,
- go to show,
- highlight,
- hint,
- identify,
- illustrate,
- impart,
- imply,
- import,
- impress,
- indicate,
- intend,
- intimate,
- involve,
- make known,
- manifest,
- mark,
- matter,
- mean,
- mention,
- name,
- note,
- pick out,
- pin down,
- point out,
- point to,
- prefigure,
- preindicate,
- presign,
- presignal,
- presignify,
- pretypify,
- purport,
- refer to,
- represent,
- reveal,
- say,
- select,
- set,
- set forth,
- show,
- show signs of,
- sign,
- signal,
- signalize,
- speak for itself,
- speak volumes,
- specialize,
- specify,
- spell,
- stand for,
- stand out,
- star,
- state,
- stipulate,
- suggest,
- symbolize,
- symptomatize,
- symptomize,
- tell,
- tend to show,
- testify,
- token,
- typify,
- weigh