symbolic gesture
noun
: an act that has no purpose or effect other than to show support, respect, etc.
The president's visit was mainly a symbolic gesture.
Examples of symbolic gesture in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To mark the achievement, the brand personally delivered one of its milestone vehicles to Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei’s Intelligent Automotive Solution Business Unit—a symbolic gesture underscoring the deep technical partnership between the two giants.
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Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Not as a symbolic gesture, but as a legally binding framework that governs everything from tank retrievals to groundwater treatment.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025
Against that backdrop, Instagram's new gold rings stand out as a symbolic gesture rather than direct financial support in an increasingly challenging creator economy.
—Zach Vallese, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2025
So far, more than 600 instruments have been donated, with 550 flood victims able to receive the gifts — a symbolic gesture of empathy and culture in this musically-rich landscape.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic gesture
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Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Not as a symbolic gesture, but as a legally binding framework that governs everything from tank retrievals to groundwater treatment.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025
Against that backdrop, Instagram's new gold rings stand out as a symbolic gesture rather than direct financial support in an increasingly challenging creator economy.
—Zach Vallese, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2025
So far, more than 600 instruments have been donated, with 550 flood victims able to receive the gifts — a symbolic gesture of empathy and culture in this musically-rich landscape.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic gesture
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic gesture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbolic%20gesture. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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