How to Use signal in a Sentence

signal

1 of 2 noun
Definition of signalnext
Synonyms for signalnext
  • The teacher gave us the signal to finish what we were working on and hand in our tests.
  • Faulty wiring in the train station caused a signal to malfunction.
  • He likes her but he is sending the wrong signals with his constant teasing.
  • While the Amp powers speakers, the Port streams to an amp that then sends a signal to the speakers.
    — Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2023
  • In Gorbachev’s case, the tragedy is that the West did not understand him and did not pick up the signals.
    — Roberto Brunelli, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Oct. 2023
  • That’s a crucial signal for the world, much of which takes its climate cues from the U.S and China.
    — Lucas Thompson, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2023
  • That’s kind of a wrong signal to send that there’s not more future than just this year in the picture.
    — Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
  • The toe becomes a signal to Samnang, as much to us, of greater wounds in need of addressing.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
  • For now, the signal is still too random to be interpretable.
    — Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2023
  • No signals cross the injury site to the other side, paralyzing the body below the site of the injury.
    — Gail Dutton, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023
  • My network can pick up the signal and keep your AirTag online and trackable.
    — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Either way, the strength of the germline signal regulates the organism’s life span, Dillin said.
    — Quanta Magazine, 8 Jan. 2024
  • The buzzing appeared as a strong signal at 1.33 kilohertz (kHz) via the fiber optic sensing.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Opry performances as a boy, the signal of the Opry’s home radio station, WSM, couldn’t reach that far out west.
    — Nancy Kruh, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2023
  • Use Sunlight Your body responds to lightness and darkness as signals to be awake and to fall asleep.
    — Mikayla Morell, Health, 22 Dec. 2023
  • In other words, well before the rod even stopped vibrating, the body’s touch sensors had already sent signals about the tool to the brain.
    — Chip Colwell, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
  • Drivers will be able to use all I-43 ramps at Brown Deer Road with temporary signals.
    — Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
  • The resumption of fighting signals that US and Saudi efforts to extend the truce have failed.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023
  • The electrodes send pulses to the nerves that trick the brain into turning off or weakening pain signals.
    — Aria Bendix, NBC News, 16 May 2023
  • In a negative signal for gas prices, the oil market continues to set new highs.
    — Matt Egan, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023
  • The signal passes through gas, which might be turbulent or clumpy, dense or diffuse.
    — WIRED, 25 Oct. 2023
  • Meta’s move to pay a dividend sends a signal about the company’s view of its growth potential.
    — Alex Barinka, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2024
  • Many who called the airline's overwhelmed customer service center got a busy signal or were stuck on hold for hours.
    — CBS News, 18 Dec. 2023
  • Not enough water and the high pressure can cause the dreaded error signal on your cooker or burn the applesauce.
    — Julia Levy, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Then, soon after Hurricane Irma passed, in 2017, the signal went dead.
    — Michael Adno, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2023
  • These sound waves send signals back to a machine that converts them into images of your baby.
    — Tricia O'Brien, Parents, 11 July 2023
  • Every time your heart beats, an electrical signal goes through it.
    — Donna Blass, Health, 4 Aug. 2023
  • But the mixed signal sent from Dubai about wealthy countries’ readiness to contribute more is a setback, say observers.
    — Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2023
  • The Utah array can last months to years but can stop working when scar tissue forms around the implant and interferes with its ability to pick up signals from nearby neurons.
    — Emily Mullin, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
  • Astronomers in the 1980s detected in Mercury’s exosphere atomic sodium, potassium and calcium, metals with strong emission signals that can be observed all the way from Earth with telescopes.
    — Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
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signal

2 of 2 verb
  • The umpire signaled a strike.
  • Robins signal the arrival of spring.
  • They signaled at me to come over to their table.
  • Did he signal before he made the left turn?
  • He signaled us that it was time to begin the meeting.
  • The election results surely signal the start of a new era.
  • A lock on the suitcase might signal that there's something of value inside.
  • This card, deemed one of the most positive in all of the tarot, is here to signal that the storm has passed.
    — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2023
  • For Loeb, that’s more than enough to signal a permanent change in the landscape.
    — Bailey Lipschultz, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2023
  • The group used a strobe light to try and signal for help while watching aircrafts fly overhead.
    — Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2023
  • Still, young voters said the grassroots movement was the best way to signal their desire for a cease-fire.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
  • Sell-by dates: More a guide for retailers to signal when items need to be removed.
    — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2023
  • To the researchers, this change signals a less resilient ecosystem.
    — Sarah Sloat, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Experts say the hike — the first since 2018 — signals the return of runaway healthcare costs.
    — Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2023
  • The crash signaled the start of the Great Depression, which led to the downfall of his presidency.
    — Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2024
  • Along with low energy, your thoughts about food could signal a need for change.
    — Maggie O'Neill, Health, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Allen has always had a strong sense of style, but her recent parade signals a new era for the singer and actor.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2023
  • The officer had been signaling east- and westbound traffic to come to a stop.
    — Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
  • Affleck signals to Ice Spice to jump in as the camera cuts to the singer with a joking look of shock and embarrassment on her face.
    — Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The White House has signaled an openness to most of these areas, but not to the extent that Republicans want.
    — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023
  • Indeed, the cops had repeatedly signalled an impulse to chalk the case up as the suicide of a troubled kid.
    — Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
  • The antler appears to be still attached to a small chunk of bone, signaling that it was taken from a dead deer the gator had killed or scavenged and not a shed antler.
    — Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 5 Oct. 2023
  • The White House signaled its support for the agreement shortly after it was announced.
    — Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024
  • So after 15 months and 10 consecutive rate hikes, the Fed left rates unchanged in June but signaled that two more hikes were coming by the end of the year.
    — Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 17 July 2023
  • In saying that, Biden seemed to signal that his patience was also running out.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 14 Dec. 2023
  • But for Powell and his colleagues, the move was key to staying on message, and signaled a lasting resolve.
    — Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2023
  • Extending the deadline signals the board still clearly believes in the power of Iger.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN, 9 Aug. 2023
  • But there is a point where a the way an injury looks and feels can signal a problem, usually an infection.
    — Sarah Bradley, Health, 14 July 2023
  • Even the banks, including UBS, have signaled support for major parts of the reform agenda.
    — Bastian Benrath, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024
  • It’s also equipped with a wrist lanyard and a flashlight with multiple settings and an SOS strobe to signal for help.
    — Kevin Brouillard, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'signal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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