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Prepositions after verbs

Sign by, up, for, with or in

Different prepositions after sign create different meanings. Sign up, sign for, sign with, and sign in are all standard but used in different situations.

Quick answer

Key patterns

Use sign up for joining an activity or service, sign for when receiving something, sign with when making an agreement, and sign in when registering your arrival.

I signed up for the course.
She signed for the package.
The player signed with a new club.
Visitors must sign in at reception.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
sign up for + activity/service

Joining something

Sign up for means register to participate in something.

They signed up for the workshop.
I signed up for online banking.
2
sign for + delivery/document

Confirming receipt

Sign for means provide a signature to confirm receiving something.

He signed for the parcel.
Someone must sign for the equipment.
3
sign with + company/team

Making an agreement

Sign with means enter into a formal agreement with an organisation.

The singer signed with a record label.
She signed with a law firm.
4
sign in + place/system

Registering arrival or access

Sign in means record your presence or log into a system.

Guests should sign in at the front desk.
Please sign in before the meeting.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
sign by
The form must be signed by a parent.
by introduces the person performing the signing in a passive structure
sign up
She signed up yesterday.
register or enrol
sign for
He signed for the package.
confirm receipt with a signature
sign with
The athlete signed with a new team.
make a formal agreement
sign in
All visitors must sign in.
register arrival or access

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Forgetting for after sign up

Use sign up for before activities and services.

✕ I signed up the course. ✓ I signed up for the course.

Using sign in for receiving packages

Sign for is used when confirming receipt.

✕ She signed in the delivery. ✓ She signed for the delivery.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. We ___ the training programme last week.
2. The contract was ___ the director.
3. All guests must ___ before entering.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between sign up and sign up for?

Sign up can stand alone, but sign up for is used before the activity or service.

Can sign with refer to musicians and athletes?

Yes. It is common for contracts with teams, labels, agencies, and companies.

What does signed by mean?

It usually appears in passive structures to identify who signed a document.

sack, by, sack, for, sack, from "sacrifice for" or "sacrifice to"? sail from, in, for, to or through? "salvage from" or "salvage in"? sanction by, for, in, with or according? satisfy with, by, in, about or after? "saturate with" or "saturate in"? save by, for, from, on or in? "say in", "say about" or "say to"? "scan for", "scan in" or "scan through"? "scar by" or "scar on"? scatter in, across, around, throughout or on?

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