A signature is your name written in your own distinctive handwriting, usually used to show that you agree to something or that you created it. When you sign a permission slip for a field trip, you're writing your signature to show your parent approved it. Artists sign paintings with their signatures so everyone knows who created the work.

Your signature belongs only to you. It's like your personal mark or stamp. That's why adults use signatures on important documents like contracts, checks, and legal papers. Before electronic payments, people signed their names on every check they wrote. Today, you might sign for a package delivery or sign a birthday card.

The word also describes something characteristic or distinctive about a person or thing. A chef might be known for her signature dish, the one recipe she's most famous for making. A musician might have a signature sound that makes their music instantly recognizable. When something is described as signature, it means it's so typical or distinctive that it identifies who made it or who it belongs to, just like a written signature identifies a person.