sign language
noun
1
: any of various formal languages employing a system of hand gestures and their placement relative to the upper body, facial expressions, body postures, and finger spelling especially for communication by and with deaf people
But true sign languages are in fact complete in themselves: their syntax, grammar, and semantics are complete, but they have a different character from that of any spoken or written language.—
Oliver Sacks
Oliver SacksSign language relies mainly on the signer's hand, but facial expressions and body movements are also important.—Mark Prigg
Mark Prigg2
: an unsystematic method of communicating chiefly by manual gestures (as by people speaking different languages)
I decided to cadge a lift from a Lebanese who only spoke Arabic, so we had to converse in sign language.—Robert Fox
Robert FoxExamples of sign language in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a clever twist unveiled when Walker insists on talking to Bernard in IT, it’s revealed that Mechanical workers practice a special form of sign language to communicate amid the droning machines and that Bernard was mistaken for taking the conversation between Walker and Knox at face value.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2025
Content is incomplete without accessibility like accurate and synchronized captions and transcripts, sign language interpreters, audio descriptions, and alt text and image descriptions.
—Toby Wong, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
In addition to his film cameo as Kuku in Kung Fu Panda 3 alongside his mom and siblings, Knox, now 16, is carving out his own interests — one of which is learning sign language.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
With a tip from Hyuk-jin and a hint in the form of a major donation Sa-eon made to a sign language school in her name, Hee-joo travels to Argan to find her husband.
—Kayti Burt, TIME, 4 Jan. 2025
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Jeff Spry, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2025
Content is incomplete without accessibility like accurate and synchronized captions and transcripts, sign language interpreters, audio descriptions, and alt text and image descriptions.
—Toby Wong, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
In addition to his film cameo as Kuku in Kung Fu Panda 3 alongside his mom and siblings, Knox, now 16, is carving out his own interests — one of which is learning sign language.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
With a tip from Hyuk-jin and a hint in the form of a major donation Sa-eon made to a sign language school in her name, Hee-joo travels to Argan to find her husband.
—Kayti Burt, TIME, 4 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sign language
Dictionary Entries Near sign language
Cite this Entry
“Sign language.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sign%20language. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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