verb
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to summon with a gesture of the hand or head
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to entice or lure
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of beckon
before 950; Middle English beknen, Old English gebē ( a ) cnian, derivative of bēacen beacon
Explanation
To beckon is to use a physical gesture to call someone over to you. Universally recognized gestures used to beckon include crooking the finger or nodding the head to invite someone over. We get the word beckon from the Old English gebecnian, meaning "to make a mute sign," which comes from bēacen, meaning "a sign or beacon." (Remember that "beacon" is a noun while beckon is a verb). When you beckon to someone, you give them a physical sign to "come here." Figuratively, an ice cream sundae might beckon you, calling you away from your diet.
Vocabulary lists containing beckon
List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Beckon the waiter imperiously and call for a perfumed roll of Bounty?
From Slate • Apr. 23, 2014
With Martz in the House, Playoffs Beckon In Alaska, where I recently visited, it’s hard not to notice the bears.
From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2010
And now, when fortune smiles and kindly gods Beckon us on to glory!
From Pharsalia; Dramatic Episodes of the Civil Wars by Lucan
Beckon you better take charge for a while.
From The Boy Ranchers on Roaring River or Diamond X and the Chinese Smugglers by Hastings, Howard L. (Howard Livingston)
"Beckon to him," said the captain; "I want a paper."
From Elsie at Nantucket by Finley, Martha
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
