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Synonyms

body language

American  

noun

  1. nonverbal, usually unconscious, communication through the use of postures, gestures, facial expressions, and the like.

body language British  

noun

  1. the nonverbal imparting of information by means of conscious or subconscious bodily gestures, posture, etc

"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 body language

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

He captured Joe Jackson in every sense, he says, from “the look and his body language and even the way he spoke.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

The body language at the end was instructive; Celtic sprightly, Rangers stunned.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

Then review the recording on mute, just watching your presence and body language.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Each and every one showed a good body language today.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

All the while Bisguier stood by and, with body language and a few words of attempted peacemaking, tried to calm things down.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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.

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