beckon
- to signal, summon, or direct by a gesture of the head or hand.
- to lure; entice.
- a nod, gesture, etc., that signals, directs, summons, indicates agreement, or the like.
Origin of beckon
Synonyms for beckon
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for beckoned
attract, invite, entice, tempt, pull, draw, coax, nod, wave, summon, motion, allure, command, demand, ask, gesticulate, sign, bid, gestureExamples from the Web for beckoned
Contemporary Examples of beckoned
I got up to leave and Biden, with his usual graciousness, beckoned me to stay.
She beckoned to them, gesturing as if she were going to give them a treat.
During the course of the party, Charles Monteith, one of the Faber board, beckoned me out into the hall.
Last week Emanuel was beckoned to head an existing but lagging effort.
Samaras saw me and, to the chagrin of security, beckoned me just before the start.
Historical Examples of beckoned
Fouts, with a slip of paper in his hand, beckoned him from the door of his private office.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
When, five minutes later, she beckoned him from the door of the barn, her eyes were red.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Young Howard beckoned to the professor from his place in the ranks.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
One of the Stewards, following him with quick eyes, saw Mike and beckoned with a finger.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
Her mother laid her finger on her lips, and beckoned silently.
The Little ColonelAnnie Fellows Johnston
beckon
- to summon with a gesture of the hand or head
- to entice or lure
- a summoning gesture
Word Origin for beckon
Word Origin and History for beckoned
beckon
Old English gebecnian (West Saxon beacnian) "to make a mute sign," derivative of beacen "a sign, beacon," from Proto-Germanic *bauknjan (cf. Old Saxon boknian, Old High German bouhnen), from PIE root *bha- "to shine" (see beacon). Related: Beckoned; beckoning. The noun is attested from 1718, from the verb.