gesture
noun
, ˈjesh-\
Definition of gesture
(Entry 1 of 2)
gesture
verbDefinition of gesture (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for gesture
Synonyms: Noun
gesticulation, mime, pantomime, sign, signal
Synonyms: Verb
beckon, flag, motion, signal, wave
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of gesture in a Sentence
Noun
Specific gestures can indicate particular moods. His arm was raised in a gesture of defiance.Verb
She gestured towards the fireplace. He gestured at his audience. The room was filled with angry people shouting and gesturing. He gestured to his partner to leave.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
There are no swipe gestures, so advancing a track is two taps on the left bud, going back is three taps. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless review: sonic standout," 30 Nov. 2018 But a kind gesture for a 13-year-old wounded in last week's school shooting made Thursday another Indiana highlight for the singer who's headlined Lucas Oil Stadium four times. — David Lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "Four ways Kenny Chesney keeps ‘welcome summer’ party going, plus a song for Ella Whistler," 1 June 2018 Simple gestures that Divine, in turn, taught her mom. — Caterina Clerici & Eléonore Hamelin, Marie Claire, "Rwanda's Future Is Female," 1 Feb. 2019 But again, that data gestures at impropriety but doesn’t provide a smoking gun. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "More evidence piles up in North Carolina election fraud scandal," 26 Dec. 2018 Looks aside, the wares incorporate some clever design gestures: The stainless-steel pieces all nest, four of the pieces share two lids, and the interiors are rivetless to prevent food from getting stuck. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Say hello to the world’s most Instagrammable Dutch oven," 8 Nov. 2018 The system records travelers’ faces using AI to analyze 38 micro-gestures, scoring each response. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Bitcoin turns 10, Apple’s first $100 billion quarter?," 1 Nov. 2018 But there are still some wrinkles in our common wisdom around this gesture. — Loren Savini, Allure, "Does Smiling Cause Wrinkles? No, and "Resting Bitch Face" Doesn't Prevent Them," 10 Oct. 2018 Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, however, will be staying at Sandringham—which is a pretty nice gesture for one's first Royal Christmas as a full-fledged duchess. — Krystin Arneson, Glamour, "Here's Why Kate Middleton and Prince William Won't Stay With the Royal Family for Christmas," 23 Dec. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Derby County manager Frank Lampard gestures on the touchline. — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, "On His Manager’s Secret Service: Espionage Comes to English Soccer," 15 Jan. 2019 But the proposed prison strike also gestures toward — and helps to create — an abolitionist political horizon, one that does not rely on cages to solve social problems. — Stephanie Onderchanin, Teen Vogue, "How the National Prison Strike Is Working to Help Incarcerated People in the United States," 21 Aug. 2018 My mother, backlit in the doorway, gestured with a sweep of the hand to present the inaugural view. — Liz Arnold, Longreads, "Making Peace with the Site of a Suicide," 11 July 2018 Your professor holds forth in class, lecturing, orating, gesturing, bantering — equal parts pedagogue and performer. — Alfred Lubrano, Philly.com, "After complaints, Ratemyprofessors.com does away with its 'hotness' ratings," 11 July 2018 At another point in the video, the father, gesturing angrily, spills the child from his arms onto the ground, then picks him up. — Don Sweeney, sacbee, "Father swings his infant son at a woman ‘like a baseball bat,’ California police say," 11 July 2018 As Stanton gestured and glared, Fiers pleaded innocence. — New York Times, "Giancarlo Stanton Gets Taste of Revenge, but Yankees Can’t Complete a Sweep," 4 June 2018 The finger gestures to another question as well: What happened to the population that made it all the way to Arabia? — Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Rare 85,000-year-old Finger May Complicate Our Understanding of African Migration," 10 Apr. 2018 Zhou gestured to an open hallway, then crabbed along in his usual way. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Read an excerpt from Kim Stanley Robinson’s next book," 18 Oct. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gesture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for gesture
gesture
noun
English Language Learners Definition of gesture
(Entry 1 of 2)
gesture
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of gesture (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for gesture in the English Language Learners Dictionary
gesture
noun
\
Kids Definition of gesture
(Entry 1 of 2)
gesture
verbKids Definition of gesture (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on gesture
What made you want to look up gesture? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Original Meanings Quiz
-
- Which of the following is the earliest known sense of the word awe?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Original Meanings Quiz
A quiz for the pedantic and those annoyed by them!
Take the quiz -
A Green Quiz
How many questions can you answer about the word "green"?
Take the quiz -
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Take the quiz -
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!
Play the game
Share gesture
Resources for gesture