autograph

1 of 3

noun

au·​to·​graph ˈȯ-tə-ˌgraf 

: something written or made with one's own hand:

a

: an original manuscript or work of art

b

: a person's handwritten signature

autography

ȯ-ˈtä-grə-fē 

noun

autograph

2 of 3

adjective

: being in the writer's own handwriting : not copied or duplicated

an autograph letter

autograph

3 of 3

verb

autographed; autographing; autographs

transitive verb

1

: to write with one's own hand

2

: to write one's signature in or on

autograph a book

Synonyms

Noun

• hand
• John Hancock
• signature

Verb

• ink
• sign
• subscribe

Examples of autograph in a Sentence

Noun

We asked her for her autograph.

There were several autograph seekers outside the theater.

Verb

asked the baseball player to autograph the bill of his cap

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Jada Thomas was reportedly signing autographs after a show with The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in downtown Dallas when an audience member shot her, witnesses told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. —Nicole Acosta, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024

Death of Christina Grimmie On June 10, 2016, YouTube star and The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie was shot dead while signing autographs after a concert at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Adjective

Lamar Jackson is coming back to the Louisville area this weekend when the former University of Louisville quarterback holds two autograph signing events at Planet Fitness clubs. —Jake Lourim, The Courier-Journal, 9 Jan. 2018

That attracted autograph seekers and fans waiting for Manning to arrive. —Clifton Brown, Indianapolis Star, 5 Oct. 2017

Verb

Tickets are $22; a VIP upgrade, $17, includes preferred seating (five minutes before general admission), a stage pass and post-show digital photos with cast members, a show poster autographed by the cast and 25% off concessions. —Eric E. Harrison, arkansasonline.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Started in 1979, The Hollywood Show is a large pop culture event currently held four times a year in Los Angeles during which actors, writers, performers and various celebrities interact with fans while autographing merchandise and taking photos. —Anne Easton, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from New Latin autographum "manuscript in a person's own handwriting, the author's own manuscript," noun derivative from neuter of Latin autographus "written in one's own hand," borrowed from Greek autógraphos, from auto- auto- + -graphos -graph

Note: Early Modern English has besides autograph the forms with Latin and Greek endings autographum and autographon. Compare French (sixteenth century) aftographe, autographe "manuscript in the hand of the author," another possible direct source for the English word.

Adjective

borrowed from Latin & Greek; Latin autographus "written in one's own hand," borrowed from Greek autógraphos — more at autograph entry 1

Verb

derivative of autograph entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing autograph

• autograph book

Kids Definition

autograph

1 of 2 noun

au·​to·​graph ˈȯt-ə-ˌgraf 

: a person's signature written by hand

autograph

2 of 2 verb

: to write one's signature in or on