symbolic gesture

noun

: an act that has no purpose or effect other than to show support, respect, etc.
The president's visit was mainly a symbolic gesture.

Examples of symbolic gesture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This was, at the time, a symbolic gesture, which the film injects with a little too much suspense. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024 Cinemas across the country will remain closed for one day on Feb. 5 in a symbolic gesture to protest against high government taxes. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Feb. 2024 This is not a symbolic gesture, but one with horrific consequences. Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024 Israel funding The first action the House took after Johnson was sworn in as speaker was to pass a resolution affirming support for Israel, a symbolic gesture. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2023 At $35 million, this first grant to BAE is almost a symbolic gesture. Eva Dou, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2023 Experts said the invitation was a symbolic gesture that could strengthen the fragile relationship between China and the Vatican. Reuters, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2023 But for Trump, whose face is already arguably the most recognized on the planet, the photo was more a symbolic gesture than a practical piece of evidence. John Fritze, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023 Four Israeli newspapers covered their front pages in black ink as a symbolic gesture to mark a blow against democracy. Isabel Debre, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'symbolic gesture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near symbolic gesture

Cite this Entry

“Symbolic gesture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbolic%20gesture. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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