gesture 1 of 2

Definition of gesturenext
1
as in sign
a movement of the body or limbs that expresses or emphasizes an idea or feeling a teenager who often shrugs her shoulders in a gesture of indifference

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2

gesture

2 of 2

verb

as in to motion
to direct or notify by a movement or gesture the police officer gestured me to the side of the road to tell me my headlight was out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gesture
Noun
That’s when someone inundates you with affectionate words and gestures early on to build influence. Kathy and Ross Petrass, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026 They can be controlled with your voice, buttons or some simple gestures and use artificial intelligence to interpret surroundings and provide audio feedback. ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
The inequalities of the art world are gestured to as fact. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026 Most of medicine can gesture toward clean endpoints. Kyle P. Edmonds, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gesture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gesture
Noun
  • Counsell thought Suzuki’s at-bats looked good from the onset of Tuesday’s game and felt the swings in his first at-bat were a great sign.
    Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
  • As the Moon meets Jupiter in your sign, your presence carries weight and people respond to your tone.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Photograph courtesy Larysa Khodymchuk Nataliia had made many visits to Chernobyl over the years.
    Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
  • JetBlue said customers with disabilities will still be invited to pre-board, while active military members and those traveling with car seats or strollers will be offered courtesy boarding.
    Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Attorney Lynn Johnson stood before jurors in a Kansas City, Kansas, courtroom Tuesday afternoon and motioned to a metal device on wheels that was sitting in front of them.
    Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Prior to closing arguments, Hunter’s other lawyer, Eben Self, motioned for an acquittal by arguing there was no evidence Green was even killed in Orange County, which Chief Circuit Judge Lisa Munyon quickly denied.
    Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Still, not all signals are aligned.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The device uses sensitive carbon rather than metal to deliver signals that are much clearer and more precise, enabling surgeons to map and understand brain activity in real time with far greater detail.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • When talking to your peers, politeness is of paramount importance.
    Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Friendly or the blank politeness of impartiality?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Kevin Durant waving bye to Deandre Ayton after he was ejected from the game.
    Dan Woike, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Wayne remembers trying to care for his father in his last years, only to be waved off during hours-long phone conversations with Sonny Rollins.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • But writ large, is there thought of increasing the country's security posture after last night?
    CBS News, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
  • As the Navy’s prime submarine contractor, Electric Boat is at the center of a push to replace an aging submarine force as the country races to balance China’s rapid naval expansion and its increasingly hostile posture in the Indo-Pacific.
    Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Former Canadiens captain Yvan Cournoyer entered the Bell Centre from that plaza holding a torch, walked it into the building and the arena bowl, setting off the Canadiens’ traditional playoff ritual of the ice catching fire, and the building roared.
    Arpon Basu, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
  • This year’s Kentucky Derby will be Buttleman’s 31st as the official bugler at Churchill Downs, and over the years, the musician has developed a pre-race ritual.
    Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gesture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gesture. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.

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