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
Imagery was multiplied to tell a story—the stentorian Mussolini, with his upraised chin and bald head, delivering a speech, or Hitler, with his toothbrush mustache, gesticulating.
—
Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Video footage of the incident obtained by KQED appears to show the women gesticulating and shouting at the correctional staff before the officers form a line and deploy pepper spray and mace grenades at the group.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The video, without sound, shows the three of them gesticulating at each other before the 13-year-old in red pants appears to charge David and stab him.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 17 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, 27 Apr. 2026
Video footage of the incident obtained by KQED appears to show the women gesticulating and shouting at the correctional staff before the officers form a line and deploy pepper spray and mace grenades at the group.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The video, without sound, shows the three of them gesticulating at each other before the 13-year-old in red pants appears to charge David and stab him.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 17 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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People who attend the trial will also be prohibited from reacting, gesturing, wearing distracting clothing or otherwise disrupting the proceedings.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
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Many of today’s most prominent artists are focused on rendering vast, abstract, and often invisible systems perceptible—often by scaling them down to something more sensible while still gesturing toward their magnitude.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
24 May 2026
Verb
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This year, soca star Voice — who had Carnival crowds jumping and waving throughout the 2026 circuit — will make his festival debut.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
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In an interview with the Observer, Page acknowledged that the department’s initial claim that Manigault came into the store waving a gun was not correct.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Recent photos of Dern on set might be nodding to the festival’s dress code and its complex history with heels and flat footwear.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
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The metaphor of perfect communication as nodding to our contemporary AI revolution is specious beyond a point.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gesticulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gesticulating. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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