as in gesturing
to move your arms and hands especially when speaking in an angry or emotional way
He was gesticulating wildly during his speech.
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Recent Examples of gesticulating
Bess finally blurted out, gesticulating and knocking over her glass of wine just as Sam opened a new bottle.
—
Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
In preschool, he was given a wordless role as Farmer McGregor in a school production of Peter Rabbit and began hamming it up, counting the missing tomatoes and gesticulating at his nemesis rabbit.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Their remaining team-mates applauded the away enclosure, but many in that section were gesticulating their disdain.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
In preschool, he was given a wordless role as Farmer McGregor in a school production of Peter Rabbit and began hamming it up, counting the missing tomatoes and gesticulating at his nemesis rabbit.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Their remaining team-mates applauded the away enclosure, but many in that section were gesticulating their disdain.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gesticulating
Verb
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His lyrics detail a process of active healing, gesturing at a contentedness that beds in as your 20 begin to wane.—
Liam Inscoe-Jones,
Pitchfork,
5 Mar. 2026
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Two tiny humanoid robots that can play soccer stand in a glass case, one blinking and gesturing at visitors and the other partially disassembled to reveal the engineering inside.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From the flags waving outside churches to the food lining the shelves inside local markets, Armenian culture is visible throughout Watertown, Massachusetts.—
Aaron Parseghian,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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And yet there Friedmann was, waving at his antagonist.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Savannah Guthrie delivered an emotional message asking for information on her mother, while nodding to the dire circumstances surrounding her absence.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026
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Chrome filigree details outline white French tips, nodding to the swoon-worthy Edwardian costuming in period pieces like Bridgerton.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gesticulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gesticulating. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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