Synonyms

gesticulate

American

[je-stik-yuh-leyt] / dʒɛˈstɪk jəˌleɪt /

verb (used without object)

to make or use gestures, especially in an animated or excited manner with or instead of speech.

Synonyms:

signal, wave, motion, gesture

verb (used with object)

to express by gesturing.

gesticulate British

/ dʒɛˈstɪkjʊˌleɪt /

verb

to express by or make gestures

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Etymology

Origin of gesticulate

1595–1605; < Latin gesticulātus (past participle of gesticulārī ), equivalent to Late Latin (assumed in Latin ) gesticul ( us ) gesture (diminutive of gestus; see gestic, -cule ¹) + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

When you gesticulate, you make sweeping and excited movements with your hands when speaking. Someone describing a scary car accident might gesticulate wildly. The verb gesticulate is related to the noun gesture. Gesture has stress on the first syllable, and gesticulate has the stress on the second syllable. Gesticulate, which comes from the Latin gesticulus meaning "to mimic," describes animated movements people make in conversation — with and without words. People who gesticulate could be said to talk with their hands!

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Vocabulary lists containing gesticulate

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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.

Suddenly The wind crashes through the tree-tops, Stripping away their orange-tiled domes; Stark blue skeletons, forbidding Gesticulate in my face.

From Goblins and Pagodas by Fletcher, John Gould

Gesticulate, jes-tik′ū-lāt, v.i. to make gestures when speaking: to play antic tricks.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023