countersign

IPA/ˈkaʊntəsaɪn/
IPA/ˈkaʊntərsaɪn/

countersign — verb

  • countersignpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • countersignshe / she / it
  • countersignedpast simple
  • countersigning-ing form

1. to add your signature after another person's on a document, showing that it is v

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to add your signature after another person's on a document, showing that it is valid, approved, or genuinely theirs

Example

The bank manager asked Mira to countersign the loan form today.

countersign + form in official paperwork

Trang could not countersign the permit until the director arrived.

Common collocations
  • countersign a form
  • countersign a permit
  • countersign a report
  • countersign a slip
Synonyms
  • co-sign

    common modern term when two people sign together, but it can also stress shared responsibility

  • endorse

    broader and can mean approve or support, not simply add a second signature

Grammar Patterns

countersign + form

countersign + permit/report/document

Usage Note

The object is usually a form, permit, report, or other official paper. It is common in legal, medical, and office procedures rather than everyday conversation.

countersign — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

co-sign is the closest everyday equivalent when two people sign together, but it can also stress shared responsibility for a loan or contract. endorse is broader because it can mean public support or written approval. countersign usually highlights that the second signature confirms the first or makes the document formally effective.

co-signendorse ↗ratify

Common collocations

Phrases

  • countersign a form
  • countersign a permit
  • give the countersign
  • know the countersign

Etymology

English counter-English sign

Built from counter- and sign, the word developed around the idea of giving a matching or confirming sign after someone else acts first.

First known use

1591

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1