autograph

1 of 3

noun

au·​to·​graph ˈȯ-tə-ˌgraf How to pronounce autograph (audio)
: something written or made with one's own hand:
a
: an original manuscript or work of art
b
: a person's handwritten signature
autography noun

autograph

2 of 3

adjective

: being in the writer's own handwriting : not copied or duplicated
an autograph letter

autograph

3 of 3

verb

autographed; autographing; autographs

transitive verb

1
: to write with one's own hand
2
: to write one's signature in or on
autograph a book

Examples of autograph in a Sentence

Noun We asked her for her autograph. There were several autograph seekers outside the theater. Verb asked the baseball player to autograph the bill of his cap
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In a recent TikTok comment beneath a video of Landon Barker signing autographs and answering questions from paparazzi, one user inquired about whether the musician and influencer has Tourette’s syndrome. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Maupin approached the table where Kassidy, who uses a stage name, was signing autographs, and the two exchanged a hug. Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 There’s no admission price and Barry will be signing autographs at no cost beginning around 6:45 p.m. and during the 7 p.m. TV broadcast of the Warriors’ game vs. Charlotte. Jon Becker, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 Not only signing autographs, but taking pictures and talking to people. Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 The outings came just a day before Keoghan skirted questions about his romance with Carpenter while signing autographs. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024 There was also marketing involved that included him signing autographs at places like CVS. Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024 The younger girls, who ask for postgame autographs and pictures (sometimes with the awards), set their sights on one day penguin sliding Fallston’s hardwood or playing well enough to earn the Dawg Bone. Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024 Super Bowl Experience 2024 autograph schedule A list of players who will sign autographs will be posted on the NFL OnePass app on Feb. 1 and will be updated regularly in the leadup to the event, according to the NFL. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 31 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Lamar Jackson is coming back to the Louisville area this weekend when the former University of Louisville quarterback holds two autograph signing events at Planet Fitness clubs. Jake Lourim, The Courier-Journal, 9 Jan. 2018 That attracted autograph seekers and fans waiting for Manning to arrive. Clifton Brown, Indianapolis Star, 5 Oct. 2017 Gates open at 5 p.m. with a free driver autograph session before fireworks at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults; children younger than 13 get in free; tickets can be bought at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-3267. charlotteobserver, 26 June 2017 Autograph tickets will be sold at the door for $10 per autograph. Pete Grathoff, kansascity.com, 27 Apr. 2017 Also featured will be an autograph appearance by NASCAR's Cody Lane, a kids area with bounce houses and face painting, and a beer and wine area. Michele Miller, Tampa Bay Times, 21 Feb. 2017
Verb
Lil Wayne sent Kyle and Carter autographed posters with personalized messages and an autographed Tha Carter III CD to show his appreciation. Skyler Trepel, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024 Then McCarthy begged the singer to autograph her face with a Sharpie. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 But then, the actress asked for the singer to autograph her dress. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2024 Billie Eilish autographing Melissa McCarthy’s forehead. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024 The brilliance of the CeraVe ad starring Michael Cera is fully clear only to people who saw the initial social-media video, a few weeks ago, of Cera autographing CeraVe products at a Brooklyn pharmacy, as part of a guerilla marketing stunt. Tyler Foggatt, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2024 Soundwaves is a 501c3 art studio and philanthropic foundation that creates pieces of art from the sound waves of famous songs and moments by teaming with the talent behind those moments to autograph each piece. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2023 Among the newspaper clippings and awards are photographs of his grandparents and grandchildren, books on Georgia O’Keeffe and a baseball autographed by Ralph Branca and Bobby Thomson, two major league players connected by their matchup in one of the biggest moments in baseball history. Emmett Lindner, New York Times, 14 May 2023 Fans can bid on a jacket autographed by Kylie, which will support the Eagles Autism Foundation, or find unsigned versions now on sale at the Eagles Pro Shop, Mitchell & Ness and Fanatics. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autograph.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from New Latin autographum "manuscript in a person's own handwriting, the author's own manuscript," noun derivative from neuter of Latin autographus "written in one's own hand," borrowed from Greek autógraphos, from auto- auto- + -graphos -graph

Note: Early Modern English has besides autograph the forms with Latin and Greek endings autographum and autographon. Compare French (sixteenth century) aftographe, autographe "manuscript in the hand of the author," another possible direct source for the English word.

Adjective

borrowed from Latin & Greek; Latin autographus "written in one's own hand," borrowed from Greek autógraphos — more at autograph entry 1

Verb

derivative of autograph entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of autograph was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near autograph

Cite this Entry

“Autograph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autograph. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

autograph

1 of 2 noun
au·​to·​graph ˈȯt-ə-ˌgraf How to pronounce autograph (audio)
: a person's signature written by hand

autograph

2 of 2 verb
: to write one's signature in or on

More from Merriam-Webster on autograph

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