signal: Meaning and Definition of

sig•nal

Pronunciation: (sig'nl), [key]
— n., adj., v., -naled, -nal•ing -nalled, -nal•ling.
—n.
  1. anything that serves to indicate, warn, direct, command, or the like, as a light, a gesture, an act, etc.: a traffic signal; a signal to leave.
  2. anything agreed upon or understood as the occasion for concerted action.
  3. an act, event, or the like that causes or incites some action: The unjust execution was the signal for revolt.
  4. a token; indication.
  5. an electrical quantity or effect, as current, voltage, or electromagnetic waves, that can be varied in such a way as to convey information.
  6. a play that reveals to one's partner a wish that he or she continue or discontinue the suit led.
—adj.
  1. serving as a signal; used in signaling: a signal flag.
  2. unusual; notable; outstanding: a signal exploit.
—v.t.
  1. to make a signal to.
  2. to communicate or make known by a signal.
—v.i.
  1. to make communication by a signal or signals.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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