vital signs

plural noun

1

: signs of life

… frightened even more by the fact that a few months ago you were clinically dead—that's right, dead—all vital signs gone.

—Asa Baber

specifically : the pulse rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, and blood pressure of a person

Her vital signs and findings from physical examination were normal, and she was not hospitalized.

—John P. Hanrahan et al.

2

: measurable variables considered to indicate the general state or condition of something

The economy's vital signs are stronger than they have been in years. Companies are posting jobs faster than they can find workers to fill them.

—Ben Casselman

He proposes that living things act as a single, coordinated entity that maintains the earth's temperature and other vital signs within very narrow limits that are to the entity's own benefit.

—Michael Oppenheimer

Note: The singular vital sign is sometimes used for a single sign or measurement.

The box … houses nine removable electronic modules, each of which monitors a specific vital sign, such as temperature, oil pressure, and the rpm of the power turbine and gas producer.

—Jay Coyle

Note: The singular form is also often used before another noun.

vital sign monitors

vital sign data

Examples of vital signs in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All of the doctors who reviewed Crain’s vital signs for ProPublica said she should have been admitted. —Lizzie Presser and Kavitha Surana, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024

Your healthcare providers may check your vital signs and ask you to sign a consent form before your test. —Qin Rao, Verywell Health, 1 Nov. 2024

The test is built on an AI algorithm that scans 22 different health metrics, including vital signs, cell and blood measurements to come up with a sepsis risk score. —Alice Park, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024

In past presidential races, those kinds of economic vital signs have reliably foreshadowed victory for the incumbent party in the White House. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

vital signs

plural noun

: the pulse rate, body temperature, number of breaths taken per minute, and often blood pressure of a person

Medical Definition

vital signs

noun plural

: signs of life

specifically : the pulse rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, and often blood pressure of a person