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

Sign language relies mainly on the signer's hand, but facial expressions and body movements are also important.

—Mark Prigg

2

: 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

Examples of sign language in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Silence of My Hands | Dir. Manuel Acuña; 2024; Mexico; 80 min Rosa and Sai are committed to one another despite distance separating them in this sensory journey spoken entirely in sign language. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025

Former Sharks executive Doug Wilson Jr. used sign language. —Jeremy Rutherford, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025

The Caesar trilogy featured a mix of human and ape characters, with many apes using sign language to communicate. —Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024

Most people here are deaf and communicate using sign language. —Mogomotsi Magome, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sign language

noun

1

: a formal language using a system of hand movements for communication (as by the deaf)

2

: a way of communicating mainly by hand and arm movements as often used by people speaking different languages

Medical Definition

sign language

noun

: 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