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 beckoning
attract, invite, entice, tempt, pull, draw, coax, nod, wave, summon, motion, allure, command, demand, ask, gesticulate, sign, bid, gestureExamples from the Web for beckoning
Contemporary Examples of beckoning
I found it beckoning, almost like a mirage, in the form of the Vino Volo wine bar.
Before she had time to think of a retort, Linda saw Tania beckoning her.
Inside Tania Head’s Terrible 9/11 Lie: ‘The Woman Who Wasn’t There’Robin Gaby Fisher, Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr.
April 6, 2012
He was the P.T. Barnum of the cyber-circus, perpetually barking and beckoning his customers into the freak show.
Historical Examples of beckoning
On looking back for my men, I saw one beckoning me to return.
Even yet there was no beckoning call for Lauzanne; but Mike knew.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
"All over, Steve; you can come along," said Max, beckoning toward the other.
With Trapper Jim in the North WoodsLawrence J. Leslie
The Angel of the Wild Things was standing there, beckoning, in the little vale.
The Biography of a GrizzlyErnest Seton-Thompson
The elder man approached me, beckoning the younger to follow.
The Prisoner of ZendaAnthony Hope
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 beckoning
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.