as in waving
to direct or notify by a movement or gesture
the referee motioned the team captains to confer with him on the sideline
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of motioning
Before motioning for the resolution to be adopted, District 14 Ald.
—
April Quevedo, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Palvin, who revealed before the show that the nerves still get to her, seemed at times disappointed in the crowd's reaction, motioning upward with her hands, expecting more applause.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
The officials talked about it and ruled that Goff didn't pause after motioning out from under center.
—Anne Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
After motioning Tez Johnson from right to left beyond Egbuka, the Bucs created a single-high look with safety Blankenship dropping down to cover tight end Cade Otton.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
April Quevedo, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Palvin, who revealed before the show that the nerves still get to her, seemed at times disappointed in the crowd's reaction, motioning upward with her hands, expecting more applause.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
The officials talked about it and ruled that Goff didn't pause after motioning out from under center.
—Anne Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
After motioning Tez Johnson from right to left beyond Egbuka, the Bucs created a single-high look with safety Blankenship dropping down to cover tight end Cade Otton.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motioning
Verb
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The epicenter of Los Angeles effectively shut down for several hours as the parade wove through the sea of fans bleeding Dodger blue with the Boys in Blue riding atop double-decker buses with friends and family, while waving to fans and holding the Commissioner’s Trophy.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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Hawks might whip up enthusiasm by waving a bloody shirt or recalling a stab in the back.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meet Elias Parker, my mother told me, gesturing to the man with the pearl-button shirt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Some of Dawson’s frustrations boiled over in the fourth quarter Saturday, as ESPN cameras caught him yelling and gesturing toward coach Mario Cristobal after the run by Brown.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motioning. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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