beckon

verb

beck·​on ˈbe-kᵊn 

beckoned; beckoning

intransitive verb

1

: to summon or signal typically with a wave or nod

My master beckons.

He … beckoned to the other generals to come and stand where he stood.

—H. E. Scudder

2

: to appear inviting : attract

the frontier beckons

transitive verb

: to beckon to

beckoned us over to their table

beckon noun

Synonyms

• motion
• wave

Examples of beckon in a Sentence

She was beckoning them in to shore.

She beckoned the waiter to come over.

She beckoned to the waiter to come over.

From the time he was a child, the wilderness beckoned to him.

The nature preserve beckons bird-watchers, who visit from around the world.

Recent Examples on the Web

The gadget sits on four slender, angled legs with its dials and classic, brown shell beckoning viewers toward its warm, bright stories. —ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025

Rhode Island’s lone golf resort is a favorite of New Englanders of every handicap; equestrian training stables and an indoor shooting range beckon a variety of sportsmen in the summer as well. —Paula Conway, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025

But on the spacetime graph, the hatched area outside our tiny experiential box is beckoning. —Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025

In that environment, bad habits beckon; habits that encourage Maye to play with abandon because why shouldn’t a quarterback asked to carry his team, throw and run and score touchdowns, try to do everything all by himself? —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bekenen, bikenen, becknien, becknyn, going back to Old English bēcnan, bīcnan, bīcnian, bēacnian "to make a mute gesture to, summon, symbolize, portend, reveal," going back to West Germanic *bauhnjan- or *bauhnōjan- (whence also Old Saxon bōknian "to portend, give as a token," Old High German bouhhanen, bouhnen "to give a sign or token, signify"), weak verb derivatives of *baukn- "sign, signal" — more at beacon entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for beckon

• reckon

Kids Definition

beckon

verb

beck·​on ˈbek-ən 

beckoned; beckoning

ˈbek- (ə-)niŋ

1

: to call or signal to a person usually by a wave or nod

they beckoned us to come over

2

: to appear inviting

new adventures were beckoning