beau geste

American

[boh zhest] / boʊ ˈʒɛst /

French.

plural

beaux gestes

a fine or noble gesture, often futile or only for effect.

beau geste British

/ bo ʒɛst /

noun

a noble or gracious gesture or act, esp one that is meaningless

"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

Etymology

Origin of beau geste

literally: beautiful gesture

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.

Still, in city politics, even the beau geste can be fraught.

From New York Times • Oct. 15, 2015

Britons who love a beau geste were deliriously enthusiastic.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was one of the few times in history that the Solicitor General refused to argue a case before the Supreme Court, and it was a beau geste that cost Griswold his job.

From Time Magazine Archive

At his death his widow observed: "His life was one long beau geste."

From Time Magazine Archive

It was all very well to feel one ought to share, and to make a beau geste and do it, but the beaux gestes Scrap had known hadn't made anybody happy.

From The Enchanted April by Elizabeth

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