slang To engage in a spoken-word contest with someone else in which both people trade boasts about themselves and insincere taunts about each other. Most common in African-American communities. A white friend of mine signifying with us at a party one time, but he left in a huff because he took all the insults to heart. Learning to signify with my friends and classmates was as big a part of my education as a school was when I was growing up.