Definition of "signalize"

[…] God has planted in man a ſenſe of ambition, and a ſatisfaction ariſing from the contemplation of his excelling his fellows in ſomething deemed valuable amongſt them. It is this paſſion that drives men to all the ways we ſee in uſe of ſignalizing themſelves, and that tends to make whatever excites in a man the idea of this diſtinction ſo very pleaſant.

1757 (date written), [Edmund Burke], “Sect. XVII. Ambition.”, in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, 2nd edition, London: […] R[obert] and J[ames] Dodsley, […], published 1759, part I, pages 82–83

[T]he reign of the Tudors was often signalized by the valour of our soldiers and sailors […] .

1789, Edward Gibbon, Memoirs of My Life, Penguin, published 1990, page 121

[T]he great Creator hath likevviſe ſignalized his Care and Skill, by giving Animals an architectonick Faculty, to build themſelves convenient places of Retirement, in vvhich to repoſe and ſecure themſelves, and to nurſe up their Young.

1713, W[illiam] Derham, “[A Survey of the Terraqueous Globe.] Of the Houses, and Habitations of Animals.”, in Physico-Theology: Or, A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, from His Works of Creation. […], London: […] W[illiam] Innys, […], book IV (Of Animals in General), page 226

An Author who points his ſatyr at a great man, is to be looked upon in the ſame view with the engineer who ſignalized himſelf by this ungenerous practice.

1716 March 6 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 19. Friday, February 24. ”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, page 426

He likewiſe pretended to ridicule the uſe of fire-arms, which confounded all the diſtinctions of ſkill and addreſs, and deprived a combatant of the opportunity of ſignalizing his personal proweſs.

1751, [Tobias] Smollett, “Peregrine Artfully Foments a Quarrel between Pallet and the Physician, who Fight a Duel on the Ramparts”, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], page 185, column 1

This expression rex Anglorum is rightly signalised by historians as a milestone in our history.

1956, Winston Churchill, History of the English-Speaking Peoples, I.5

And yet... looking here at this bottle which by its number signalized the day when Colonel Freeleigh had stumbled and fallen six feet into the earth, Douglas could not find so much as a gram of dark sediment […]

1957, Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine