as in motioning
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
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Recent Examples of gesturing
Last night’s caution for gesturing to referee Jarred Gillett that West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville should be booked left head coach Rob Edwards with a problem.
—
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
The two talked for more than 10 minutes, taking turns gesturing pointedly.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
There in Bauhus’s office, a cuckoo springs out of the little house on the wall—that sleek, modern clock, missing the detail of tradition but still gesturing at something.
—Kendra Atleework, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2026
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
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
Is this person gesturing hello or leave me alone?
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Prohibited communication methods include blowing a whistle and gesturing.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Trump’s taste is the stuff of legend, a sort of grotesque of the conventional, with his gold baroque glop and fake tans and bright-red neckties—everything gesturing toward high-end elegance but always wrong somehow, always slightly too much.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
The two talked for more than 10 minutes, taking turns gesturing pointedly.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
There in Bauhus’s office, a cuckoo springs out of the little house on the wall—that sleek, modern clock, missing the detail of tradition but still gesturing at something.
—Kendra Atleework, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2026
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
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
Is this person gesturing hello or leave me alone?
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Prohibited communication methods include blowing a whistle and gesturing.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Trump’s taste is the stuff of legend, a sort of grotesque of the conventional, with his gold baroque glop and fake tans and bright-red neckties—everything gesturing toward high-end elegance but always wrong somehow, always slightly too much.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gesturing
Verb
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Meanwhile, Soler and López began trading words, with López seemingly motioning at Soler to do something.—
Johnny Flores Jr,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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The federal government intensified efforts to expand family detention indefinitely by motioning to terminate a cornerstone policy ensuring the protection of immigrant children in federal custody.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The area was gridlocked with traffic, with people coming back to check on their homes and Hezbollah supporters zooming on scooters, waving the group’s flag.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The suspect drove through several freeways while waving at officers before entering the 91 Freeway in the Downey-Norwalk area to make his way to LA County.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gesturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gesturing. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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