beckon
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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beckons,
present (3rd person singular)
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beckoned,
past participle, past
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beckoning
present participle
noun
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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beckonsimple
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beckonssimple
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have beckonedperfect
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has beckonedperfect
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am beckoningprogressive
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are beckoningprogressive
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is beckoningprogressive
-
have been beckoningperfect progressive
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has been beckoningperfect progressive
Past
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beckonedsimple
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had beckonedperfect
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was beckoningprogressive
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were beckoningprogressive
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had been beckoningperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Adds Miyashita: "These puzzles beckon our curiosity. After all, spiral forms in nature have inspired human creations ranging from rotini pasta, to a barber's pole or even portrayals of the biblical 'Tower of Babel'."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
Some of those listeners and viewers carry on what storytellers like Miyazaki began, doing their part to beckon us to see beyond life’s troubles for a while, to find a bit more balance.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
But after the theatre and drama of Monday, the hard questions for the Labour Party and for Burnham beckon.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Venice’s legendary five-star hotels beckon those with unlimited budgets, but we hadn’t come to one of the world’s great walking cities to stay inside a hotel room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Then they stand, wrap their arms around each other’s shoulders, and beckon me over.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Downing Street beckons for a man who has long dreamed of leading his party and his country.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Once the final track has been played, “F.I.G” beckons us to replay, revel in our emotions and dance once, maybe twice or thrice, more.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
Overseas opportunity still beckons for the concert industry, even as Americans feel the sting of high inflation and demand shows signs of returning to earth from the postpandemic peak.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Christmas lights glisten, a communal tree beckons to be decorated and a marionette handler wanders the grounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
Reggie taps the computer screen and beckons us closer.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
The projects became further bogged down after major U.S. oil companies declined to participate when better opportunities beckoned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Quintero beckoned to the master bedroom, Trujillo said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Over time, he and his apostles took on various ideologies, dropping them for new ones as times changed and power beckoned.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
She raised their two sons in the African bush until serious schooling finally beckoned them back to the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
The boy turned and said something to his companions, and there was no doubt that he was their leader, for they dispersed at once; then he beckoned to us.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
At the table beside mine, an older man kept beckoning strangers over to share his.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
The seductive power of the screens, beckoning families from their dining rooms, was unstoppable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Who is the spooky, smiling woman beckoning to a young girl at the edge of her garden?
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
But for the most part, America has always been an optimistic nation, with the future beckoning a better day for everyone.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026
The children streamed after her, every one, dodging the snapping jaws of the wolves and racing as hard as they could down the avenue toward the beckoning open dark beyond.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
