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Business English vocabulary · Office Idioms and Phrases

Sign off on

Meaning in business english, with examples

phrasal verbCommon term

In business english, sign off on means: To give official approval to a plan, document, budget or piece of work so that it can go ahead.

In Turkish: onaylamak, onay vermek

How it is used

Common when decisions need a manager's approval: 'The CFO has to sign off on the budget', 'Who signs off on this?' The noun is 'sign-off': 'We're waiting for sign-off from legal'. 'Sign off' alone can also mean ending an email or a working day.

Example sentences

  1. Marketing has signed off on the new logo, so we can start printing.

  2. I can't sign off on these figures until I've seen the receipts.

Common collocations

  • sign off on the budget
  • sign off on a decision
  • get sign-off
  • final sign-off
  • go aheadA short phrase that tells someone they may start speaking or doing something, for example when two people talk at once on a call.
  • on boardSupporting a plan or decision and willing to take part in it; also used to say that someone has joined a team or company.
  • CFOShort for chief financial officer: the senior executive responsible for a company's money, including budgets, accounts, reporting and financial risk.
  • stakeholderA person or group that is affected by a project or company decision, or has an interest in it, such as employees, customers, investors or suppliers.

More terms: Office Idioms and Phrases

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