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
Unlike the below-ground oath of office, this would not be a symbolic gesture.
—
Jay Walder, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026
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.
—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
See All Example Sentences for symbolic gesture
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Jay Walder, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026
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.
—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
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 16 Jan. 2026.
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