English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

sig

noun

A short block of text automatically added to the end of an email or forum post, often with the sender's name and contact details.

siggy

noun

Informal word for a sig — the signature text at the end of an email or forum post.

sigh

verb

To let out a long, audible breath, usually as a sign of tiredness, sadness, relief, or frustration.

sighing

noun

The act of letting out sighs.

sight

noun

The ability to see; vision.

sighted

adj

Able to see; not blind.

sighting

noun

An instance of seeing something, especially something rare, unusual, or being searched for.

sightseeing

noun

Visiting and looking at places of interest, typically as a tourist.

sigma

noun

The eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Σ, σ).

Sigmund

name

A masculine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "victorious protector," notably borne by Sigmund Freud.

sign

noun

A visible indication that something exists, is happening, or is about to happen.

signage

noun

Signs collectively, especially those used for directions, advertising, or safety information.

signal

noun

Something transmitted or displayed that conveys information, such as a light, sound, or electrical impulse.

signaling

noun

The sending or transmission of a signal, especially in biology, electronics, or communication systems.

signalling

noun

The use of signals to communicate, especially in telecommunications or transport systems.

signature

noun

A person's name written by their own hand, used to confirm identity or approval.

Signe

name

A feminine Scandinavian given name, meaning "new victory."

signed

adj

Bearing a signature; formally agreed to or authenticated.

significance

noun

The quality of being important or having a noticeable effect.

significant

adj

Important enough to be noticed or to have a real effect.

significantly

adv

To a noticeable or important extent.

signify

verb

To be a sign of; to indicate or represent something.

signifying

noun

The act of representing or indicating a meaning.

signing

noun

The act of formally agreeing to a contract, especially for a sports player or performer.

signora

noun

An Italian title of respect for a married or older woman, equivalent to "Mrs" or "madam".

signore

noun

An Italian title of respect for a man, equivalent to "Mr" or "sir".

signorina

noun

An Italian title of respect for an unmarried woman or young girl, equivalent to "Miss".

signpost

noun

A post with a sign that shows directions or distances.

Sigrid

name

A feminine Scandinavian given name, meaning "beautiful victory."

Sigurd

name

A masculine Scandinavian given name, meaning "guardian of victory," the Norse counterpart of Siegfried.

Sikes

name

An English surname, notably borne by the villain Bill Sikes in Dickens's Oliver Twist.

Sikh

noun

A follower of Sikhism, a religion founded in the Punjab region of South Asia.

sil

noun

A yellowish pigment used by painters in ancient times.

Silas

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, meaning "of the forest," and a companion of the apostle Paul in the New Testament.

silence

noun

Complete absence of sound.

silenced

adjective

Made quiet; stopped from making noise or being heard.

silencer

noun

A device fitted to a gun barrel to reduce the noise of firing.

silene

noun

In chemistry, a molecule containing a silicon atom joined to another atom by a double bond, the silicon counterpart of an alkene.

silent

adjective

Making no sound at all; completely quiet.

silently

adverb

Without making any sound.

silhouette

noun

A dark solid outline or shape seen against a lighter background, showing only the outer form.

silica

noun

Silicon dioxide, the chemical compound that makes up sand, quartz, and most glass.

silicon

noun

A hard, non-metallic chemical element (symbol Si) that is the basis of computer chips and most rock and sand on Earth.

silicone

noun

A flexible, heat-resistant synthetic material made from silicon, used in everything from bakeware to sealants to medical implants.

silk

noun

A fine, soft fiber produced by silkworms, or fabric woven from it.

silken

adjective

Made of silk, or soft and smooth like silk.

silky

adjective

Smooth and soft to the touch, like silk.

sill

noun

The horizontal ledge at the base of a window or door frame.

Silla

name

The name of an ancient Korean kingdom that unified the Korean peninsula in the seventh century.

silliness

noun

Foolish, playful, or frivolous behavior.

silly

adjective

Foolish or lacking good sense; done or said in a way that invites laughter.

silo

noun

A tall tower or pit used to store grain, animal feed, or other bulk material.

silt

noun

Fine particles of soil or mud carried and deposited by moving water.

silva

noun

(formal) The trees of a particular forest or region, considered collectively.

silvana

noun

A Filipino dessert, a frozen cookie made from a layer of buttercream sandwiched between two cashew-meringue wafers coated with cookie crumbs.

silver

noun

A shiny, whitish precious metal (symbol Ag) used in jewellery, coins, and electronics.

Silverman

name

A surname.

silverware

noun

Cutlery — knives, forks, and spoons — whether or not actually made of silver.

silvery

adjective

Resembling silver in colour; shiny and pale grey.

Silvia

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "of the forest," a variant of Sylvia.

Silvio

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, meaning "of the forest," notably borne by Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi.

Sim

noun

(informal) A simulation, especially a computer game that simulates real-world activities.

sima

noun

(geology) The dense layer of the Earth's crust rich in silicon and magnesium that lies beneath the continents and forms the ocean floor.

Simba

name

A masculine name of Swahili origin, meaning "lion," famous as the protagonist of Disney's The Lion King.

Simcoe

name

A surname notably borne by John Graves Simcoe, first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, and the name of a lake and region in Ontario.

Simeon

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "one who hears," borne by one of the twelve sons of Jacob in the Bible.

simi

pronoun

Used in some varieties of English (influenced by Chinese "what") to mean "what" or "what kind of."

simian

adjective

Relating to or resembling apes or monkeys.

similar

adjective

Sharing enough features with something else to be alike, though not identical.

similarity

noun

The quality of being alike; a shared feature between two or more things.

similarly

adverb

In a like manner; in much the same way.

simmer

verb

To cook gently in liquid just below boiling point.

simmering

adjective

Cooking gently just below boiling point.

Simmons

name

An English surname derived from the given name Simon, meaning "son of Simon."

Simms

name

An English surname, a shortened form of Simmons, meaning "son of Simon."

Simo

name

A masculine given name used in Finland and elsewhere, a form of Simon.

Simon

name

A male given name, originally from Hebrew, borne by several figures in the New Testament including the Apostle Peter.

Simona

name

A female given name, a Latinized or Italian form of Simone.

Simone

name

A female given name of French origin, the feminine form of Simon.

Simons

name

An English and Dutch surname meaning "son of Simon."

simple

adj

Easy to understand or do; not complicated.

simpler

adj

Comparative form of simple: easier, plainer, or less complicated.

simpleton

noun

A person who lacks common sense or shows poor judgement; a foolish person.

simplicity

noun

The quality of being simple, uncomplicated, or easy to understand.

simplified

adj

Made easier to understand by removing complexity or detail.

simplify

verb

To make something simpler, easier to understand, or easier to do.

simplistic

adj

Treating a complicated issue as if it were much simpler than it really is, in a way that misses important details.

simply

adv

In a simple, plain, or uncomplicated way.

Simpson

name

An English surname meaning "son of Simon," widely known from the animated television series The Simpsons.

Simran

name

A unisex given name from Punjabi.

Sims

name

A surname derived from the given name Sim, a short form of Simon.

simulate

verb

To imitate or reproduce the appearance, behaviour, or conditions of something, often for testing or training purposes.

simulated

adj

Made to look or behave like something real, without actually being it; artificial.

simulation

noun

A model or reproduction of a real system or situation, used to study or predict how it behaves.

simulator

noun

A machine or program that recreates a real environment or experience, often used for training.

simultaneous

adj

Happening or done at exactly the same time as something else.

simultaneously

adv

At the same moment; occurring together in time.

sin

noun

In religious terms, an act that breaks a moral or divine law.

Sinai

name

A peninsula in Egypt that forms the only part of the country located in Asia.

Sinaloa

name

A state on the Pacific coast of northwestern Mexico.

Sinan

name

A masculine given name of Turkish and Arabic origin, notably borne by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.

Sinatra

name

An Italian surname, famously borne by American singer and actor Frank Sinatra.

Sinbad

name

A legendary sailor and adventurer from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights.

since

prep

From a particular point in the past up until now.

sincere

adj

Genuinely felt or meant; free of pretence or deceit.

sincerely

adv

In a genuine, heartfelt manner.

sincerity

noun

The quality of being genuine and honest in what one says or feels.

Sinclair

name

A Scottish surname, originally the name of a clan, now also used as a given name.

Sindhu

name

A feminine Indian given name and the historical Sanskrit name for the Indus River.

sine

noun

In trigonometry, a function of an angle giving the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the hypotenuse in a right triangle.

Sinead

name

A female given name of Irish origin.

sinful

adj

Guilty of, or characterized by, sin; morally wrong.

sing

verb

To produce musical sounds with the voice, especially by following a tune.

Singapore

name

An island and city-state in Southeast Asia, located off the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula; a former British crown colony and state of Malaysia (1963-1965). Official name: Republic of Singapore.

singe

verb

To burn something slightly, especially so as to scorch the surface without fully burning it.

singer

noun

A person who sings, especially as a profession or skill.

Singh

name

A common South Asian surname, especially among Sikhs and in parts of northern India.

singing

noun

The act of making musical sounds with the voice.

single

adj

Being just one, on its own, without anything else alongside it.

singles

noun

A match played between two individual opponents rather than teams, as in tennis.

singleton

noun

The only card of its suit in a card player's hand.

singsong

noun

An informal gathering where people sing together, often casually.

singular

adj

Remarkably unusual or exceptional; standing out from the ordinary.

Singularity

noun

A hypothetical future point when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence and triggers runaway technological change.

singularly

adv

In a strange or unusual way.

Sinha

name

A South Asian surname meaning "lion", used across several Indian languages.

sinister

adj

Suggesting evil intent or hidden danger.

sink

verb

To go down below the surface of water or another liquid, or to cause something to do so.

sinker

noun

A weight attached to a fishing line to make it sink.

sinkhole

noun

A hole in the ground formed when water dissolves underlying rock, causing the surface to collapse.

sinner

noun

A person who commits sins, or who lives in a morally wrong way.

sinning

noun

The act of committing sin.

sinus

noun

One of the air-filled cavities in the skull, especially around the nose, that connect to the nasal passages.

Siobhan

name

A female given name of Irish origin, an anglicised form of Siobhán.

Sion

name

A Welsh masculine given name, a form of John, and also a variant spelling of Zion.

Sioux

name

A group of Native American peoples of the Great Plains, or a member of these peoples.

sip

noun

A small amount of a drink taken into the mouth at one time.

siphon

noun

A bent tube that uses pressure and gravity to move liquid from one container to a lower one.

siphoning

noun

The act of drawing off liquid or resources using a siphon or siphon-like method.

sipping

noun

The act of drinking something slowly in small amounts.

sippy

noun

(informal) A small sip, or a child's cup designed to prevent spills.

sir

noun

A polite or respectful way to address a man, especially one of higher rank, a stranger, or a teacher.

sire

noun

The male parent of an animal, especially in breeding contexts.

siree

noun

An informal, emphatic variant of "sir", typically used in the expression "yes siree".

siren

noun

A device that produces a loud, piercing warning sound, or the sound itself.

Siri

name

A feminine Scandinavian given name, a short form of Sigrid, meaning "beautiful victory."

Sirius

name

The brightest star visible in the night sky, part of the constellation Canis Major.

sirloin

noun

A cut of beef taken from the lower back of the animal, prized for grilling and roasting.

sirrah

noun

(archaic) A term of address used to a man or boy considered inferior, often scornfully.

Sisko

name

A surname notably associated with the fictional character Benjamin Sisko from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.