Standard Lemma guide

signpost

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈsaɪnˌpoʊst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AY1 N P OW2 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A post bearing a sign that gives information on directions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A word or phrase within a clue that serves as an indicator, rather than being fodder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: crosswording

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To install signposts on.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Qualifier: chiefly passive voice

Examples

  • The route wasn't signposted, and we got lost on the way.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To direct (somebody) to services, resources, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To signal (something) intentionally, as if with a signpost.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: signal

6

verb

Meaning 6

To signal (something) intentionally, as if with a signpost.

To indicate (as the logical progress of a discourse) using words or phrases such as now, right, to recap, to sum up, as I was saying, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: signal

7

noun

Meaning 7

a post bearing a sign that gives directions or shows the way

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: guidepost

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sign

Narrower terms: fingerpost, fingerboard

8

verb

Meaning 8

mark with a signpost, as of a path

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mark

History

Etymology

From sign + post.

Across languages

Translations

72 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: паказа́льнік (pakazálʹnik) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Belarusian: паказа́льны слуп (pakazálʹny slup) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Bulgarian: пътепоказа́тел (pǎtepokazátel) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Catalan: rètol — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Chinese Mandarin: 路標 /路标 (lùbiāo) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Czech: rozcestník — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Czech: směrová tabule — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Dutch: wegwijzer — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Faroese: vegvísari — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Finnish: tienviitta — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Finnish: viitta — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • French: poteau indicateur — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Galician: letreiro — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • German: Signalposten — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • German: Wegweiser — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • German: Signalpfosten — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • German: Richtungsweiser — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • German: Schild — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • German: Hinweisschild — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Greek: οδοδείκτης (ododeíktis) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Hungarian: útjelző/irányjelző/útirányjelző tábla — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Indonesian: plang — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Irish: craobh eolais — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Irish: cuaille eolais — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Irish: maide eolais — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Italian: cartello — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Japanese: 道標 — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Korean: 푯말 (pyonmal) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Korean: 표지판 (pyojipan) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Macedonian: патоказ (patokaz) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Malayalam: വഴികാട്ടി (vaḻikāṭṭi) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Manx: stowran cowree — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Māori: poutohu — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Norwegian Bokmål: retningsskilt — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: retningsskilt — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Polish: drogowskaz — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Polish: kierunkowskaz — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Romanian: indicator rutier — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Romanian: indicator — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Romanian: indicator de drum — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Russian: указа́тельный столб (ukazátelʹnyj stolb) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Russian: указа́тель (ukazátelʹ) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Serbo-Croatian: пу̏тока̄з — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Serbo-Croatian: pȕtokāz — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Silesian: wegwajzer — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Silesian: rankoś — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Slovak: ukazovateľ — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Slovene: kažipot — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Slovene: pokazatelj — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Spanish: letrero — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Spanish: cartel — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Tamil: ஆட்காட்டி (āṭkāṭṭi) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Tamil: வழிகாட்டி (vaḻikāṭṭi) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Ukrainian: пока́жчик (pokážčyk) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Ukrainian: дороговка́з (dorohovkáz) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Ukrainian: шляховка́зувач (šljaxovkázuvač) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Ukrainian: дороговка́зувач (dorohovkázuvač) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Ukrainian: вказівни́й стовп (vkazivnýj stovp) — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Welsh: arwyddbost — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Welsh: mynegbost — post bearing a sign that gives information on directions
  • Catalan: senyalitzar — install signposts
  • Dutch: bewegwijzeren — install signposts
  • Finnish: viitoittaa — install signposts
  • Galician: sinalizar — install signposts
  • German: ausschildern — install signposts
  • German: beschildern — install signposts
  • Hungarian: kitábláz — install signposts
  • Hungarian: táblával/táblákkal jelez/jelöl — install signposts
  • Hungarian: jelzőtáblával/jelzőtáblákkal ellát — install signposts
  • Polish: znakować drogę — install signposts
  • Portuguese: sinalizar — install signposts
  • Spanish: señalizar — install signposts