I.
noun
1 sign/action/sound that sends a message
ADJECTIVE
▪ clear , unmistakable
▪ agreed , prearranged
▪ conflicting , confusing , contradictory , mixed
▪ wrong
▪
Laughing when you should be crying sends out the wrong ~s to people.
▪ alarm , danger , distress , warning
▪ hand , non-verbal , smoke , visual
▪ turn ( AmE )
▪ busy ( AmE ) ( engaged tone in BrE )
▪
All I get is a busy ~ when I dial his number.
▪ buy , sell ( both business )
▪
A strong buy ~ was issued to traders.
VERB + SIGNAL
▪ give (sb) , make , send , send out
▪
When I give the ~, run!
▪ interpret , read
▪
The brain interprets the ~s from the retina as light.
▪ interpret sth as
▪
The remark was interpreted as a ~ that their government was ready to return to the peace talks.
▪ pick up , respond to
▪
Interviewers quickly learn to pick up non-verbal ~s.
▪ act as
▪
The insect's yellow spots act as a warning ~ to its predators.
SIGNAL + VERB
▪ come from sth
▪
Try to read the ~s coming from the patient.
▪ indicate sth
▪
the ~s that can indicate danger
PREPOSITION
▪ at a ~ , on a ~
▪
At a prearranged ~, everyone started cheering.
▪ ~ for
▪
She made a ~ for the car to stop.
▪ ~ from , ~ to
▪
Wait for the ~ from the leader of your group.
2 set of lights for drivers
ADJECTIVE
▪ railroad ( AmE ), railway ( BrE ), traffic
VERB + SIGNAL
▪ operate
SIGNAL + VERB
▪ be on red/green , be red/green
▪
The traffic ~s were on red.
▪ fail
SIGNAL + NOUN
▪ box ( BrE )
▪ failure ( BrE )
3 series of radio waves, chemical messages, etc.
ADJECTIVE
▪ faint , weak
▪ strong
▪ high-frequency , low-frequency
▪ input , output
▪ acoustic , analogue/analog , audio , chemical , digital , electrical , electronic , GPS , light , radar , radio , satellite , sonar , sound , television , TV , video , wireless
VERB + SIGNAL
▪ carry , pass , relay
▪
The nerves carry these ~s to the brain.
▪ amplify , boost
▪ convert (sth into) , scramble
▪
The ~ is scrambled into code before it is sent.
▪ decode , encode
▪ emit , generate , produce , send , transmit
▪ detect , pick up , receive , respond to
▪
This equipment can detect very low-frequency ~s.
▪ block , jam
▪
It is possible to jam GPS ~s in battle.
SIGNAL + VERB
▪ travel
▪
The digital ~ travels down wires to the server.
▪
A light ~ can travel well over 16 km before it halves in intensity.
▪ fade
SIGNAL + NOUN
▪ intensity , strength
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ from
▪
a faint ~ from the satellite
▪ ~ to
II.
verb
1 move your arms to give a signal
ADVERB
▪ frantically
▪
I saw her ~ frantically to us.
PREPOSITION
▪ for
▪
He raised his hand to ~ for the waiter.
▪ to
▪
She tried to ~ to the bus driver to stop.
2 show/mark sth
ADVERB
▪ clearly
▪
These changes clearly ~ the end of the welfare state as we know it.
▪ effectively ( esp. BrE )
▪
A change of mind effectively ~s a change in overall policy.
▪ not necessarily
▪
A fall in demand does not necessarily ~ the death of the industry.
VERB + SIGNAL
▪ appear to , seem to
▪
These events appeared to ~ the end of an era.
▪ try to
▪ be intended to , be meant to
▪
This address was meant to ~ a change in policy.
Signal is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ bell
Signal is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ approach , ↑ arrival , ↑ beginning , ↑ dawn , ↑ desire , ↑ determination , ↑ emergence , ↑ end , ↑ move , ↑ onset , ↑ readiness , ↑ return , ↑ shift , ↑ start , ↑ turn , ↑ turning point , ↑ willingness