sign-out
sign-out — phrasal verb
- sign-outbase form
- sign-outs3rd person singular
- sign-outing-ing form
- sign-outedpast simple
1. to write your name in a register kept near the entrance of a workplace or other
to write your name in a register kept near the entrance of a workplace or other institution, recording the time you left the building
Yuki signed out at the front desk before leaving the hospital at six o'clock.
sign out at + place
Every worker must sign out of the factory when their shift ends, even on Fridays.
sign out of + building type
Fatima forgot to sign out, so the security guard called her name over the speaker.
The visitors' book sits on the counter, and everyone is expected to sign out before leaving.
Diego signed out at half past four and caught the bus home through the rain.
- sign in
the action of writing your name when you arrive
文法句型
sign out
sign out of [place]
sign out at [reception/desk]
用法筆記
Common in offices, schools, hospitals, and factories that keep a physical sign-in/sign-out book. The opposite action is 'sign in.'
常見錯誤
2. to close your personal account on a website, app, or computer system, ending you
to close your personal account on a website, app, or computer system, ending your current session so that nobody else can access your information
Hassan always signs out of his email before leaving the public library computer.
sign out of + account type
If you forget to sign out on a shared device, someone could read your private messages.
Mei-Ling signed out of the shopping app after checking her delivery status.
The office policy says every employee must sign out of all systems before the lunch break.
Amara clicked the button to sign out, then shut the laptop and slid it into her bag.
文法句型
sign out
sign out of [website/app/account]
sign out and close the browser
用法筆記
The standard term for ending a session on websites and apps. 'Log out' means the same thing and is equally common. Distinguish from sense 1, which involves a physical register book.
常見錯誤
3. to write your name beside a visitor's name in the entry book, confirming that th
to write your name beside a visitor's name in the entry book, confirming that the person is now departing from the building under your authorisation
Kwame went to the school office to sign his daughter out for a dentist appointment.
sign [someone] out for + reason
Only a parent or guardian can sign a child out of the nursery before the end of the day.
sign [someone] out of + place
The security guard asked Svetlana to sign her guest out at the front gate before six.
Jorge forgot his visitor pass, so a colleague had to come downstairs and sign him out.
Students under sixteen must be signed out by an adult before they can leave the campus.
- check out
in American English, 'check someone out' can mean the same thing in hotel or hospital settings
- sign in
the action of recording a visitor's arrival by signing beside their name
文法句型
sign [someone] out
sign [someone] out of [place]
用法筆記
Always takes a person as the object — you sign someone out. Typical in schools, hospitals, and secure buildings. The object pronoun goes between 'sign' and 'out': 'sign him out,' not 'sign out him.'
常見錯誤
4. to put your name down in a logbook when you take an item such as a library book,
to put your name down in a logbook when you take an item such as a library book, tool, or piece of equipment, creating a written record that you are responsible for returning it
Naledi signed out three books from the university library on a rainy Tuesday afternoon.
sign out + items + from + place
You need a staff card to sign equipment out of the supply room on the second floor.
sign [equipment] out of + room
Arun signed out a laptop for the weekend and promised to return it first thing on Monday.
The nurse signed out a wheelchair so the patient could move around the hospital garden.
Each power tool must be signed out before you take it from the workshop to the building site.
文法句型
sign [something] out
sign [something] out of [place]
sign out [something]
用法筆記
Typical objects are library books, tools, keys, laptops, and medical equipment. The item is expected to be returned. In American English, 'check out' is more common for borrowing library books.
常見錯誤
sign-out — verb
- sign-outpresent simple I / you / we / they
- sign-outs3rd person singular
- sign-outing-ing form
- sign-outedpast simple
1. to formally indicate one's departure from a restricted or monitored facility by
to formally indicate one's departure from a restricted or monitored facility by completing the exit procedure at a control point, such as entering details in a log or register
All visitors are required to sign out at the security checkpoint before leaving the site.
passive: are required to sign out
The contractor signed out at the gatehouse after finishing the electrical work on the second floor.
Captain Rivera signed out at the airbase checkpoint and walked to his car across the wet tarmac.
Chen Wei signed out of the research facility and walked to the car park under the floodlights.
- clock out
more informal and tied to hourly paid work; implies a timekeeping machine rather than a written log
- sign in
the formal act of recording one's arrival in an official register
文法句型
sign out
sign out at [checkpoint/gate]
用法筆記
More formal and abstract than the phrasal-verb sense 1. Found in written procedures, security manuals, and official notices. In everyday speech, people use the phrasal verb 'sign out' (sense 1) instead.
2. to formally record and grant permission for a person or item under one's charge
to formally record and grant permission for a person or item under one's charge to be released from a controlled environment
The warden signed out the prisoner for a supervised family visit in the meeting room.
sign out + person under authority
A senior officer must sign out any classified document before it leaves the secure archive.
sign out + restricted item
The lab manager signed out the blood samples for overnight transport to the testing centre.
Esther signed the evidence out of the locked storage room, logging every item in the chain-of-custody form.
文法句型
sign out [someone/something]
sign [someone/something] out
用法筆記
Formal register; used in institutional settings where strict control is maintained — prisons, military bases, laboratories, evidence rooms. The subject is usually an authority figure, and the object is typically a person in custody or a sensitive item.