gesticulate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
gesticulates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gesticulated,
past participle, past
-
gesticulating
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
gesticulates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gesticulated,
past participle, past
-
gesticulating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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gesticulatornoun
-
overgesticulateverb
-
gesticulativeadjective
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gesticulatoryadjective
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overgesticulativeadjective
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ungesticulatingadjective
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ungesticulativeadjective
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ungesticulatoryadjective
-
overgesticulativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gesticulatesimple
-
gesticulatessimple
-
have gesticulatedperfect
-
has gesticulatedperfect
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am gesticulatingprogressive
-
are gesticulatingprogressive
-
is gesticulatingprogressive
-
have been gesticulatingperfect progressive
-
has been gesticulatingperfect progressive
Past
-
gesticulatedsimple
-
had gesticulatedperfect
-
was gesticulatingprogressive
-
were gesticulatingprogressive
-
had been gesticulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gesticulate
1595–1605; < Latin gesticulātus (past participle of gesticulārī ), equivalent to Late Latin (assumed in Latin ) gesticul ( us ) gesture (diminutive of gestus; see gestic, -cule 1) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you gesticulate, you make sweeping and excited movements with your hands when speaking. Someone describing a scary car accident might gesticulate wildly. The verb gesticulate is related to the noun gesture. Gesture has stress on the first syllable, and gesticulate has the stress on the second syllable. Gesticulate, which comes from the Latin gesticulus meaning "to mimic," describes animated movements people make in conversation — with and without words. People who gesticulate could be said to talk with their hands!
Vocabulary lists containing gesticulate
The Lingo of Body Language
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Grade 10, List 4
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Life Is So Good
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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:
Let the officers pore over their digital maps and the soldiers gesticulate obscurely at one another on the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
They even made note of our facial expressions and the way we would gesticulate, and they worked that into it a bit, so I would say it was unusually collaborative.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2024
If the fourth official intervenes, or doesn't, the whole dugout stand up and gesticulate wildly.
From BBC ● May 31, 2023
City’s manager was furious, repeatedly turning to the Anfield fans behind the dugout to gesticulate.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2022
The collar of his coat on the right side had an unpleasant way of flying up whenever he raised his arm to gesticulate.
From Abraham Lincoln, Volume 2 (of 2) The True Story of a Great Life by William H. Herndon
Goodman is animated, her long red hair moving with her as she gesticulates.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 13, 2023
As she argues a point, she gesticulates broadly, leans forward and occasionally pounds the table.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 8, 2021
Instead, he drops it and picks it up, twirls it like a baton, and gesticulates wildly with it.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2019
The character — on closer inspection, an animated frog — paces and gesticulates, then disappears behind a fence before returning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2018
He gesticulates wildly toward Rosie, ranting without pause.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
The Real Madrid midfielder, who had already been booked, gesticulated with his arms that he did not want to be substituted.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2025
Guardiola repeatedly gesticulated at fans in the immediate aftermath and later said coins were thrown in his direction.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2022
The former National threw down his bat and gesticulated frantically while screaming at Hernandez.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 25, 2022
Kirby Smart leaped and danced and gesticulated across the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the entirety of Monday night.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 11, 2022
He gesticulated, his words tangling up with one another.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Viewers were left watching a silent movie of a shrinking figure gesticulating wildly into the wind.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
But with Patterson on the USC sideline for the first time, gesticulating and sweating in the coaches’ all-black attire, it did drop some concerning clues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
"Instead of listening to music, we listen to the news constantly," the father of three, gesticulating to emphasise his point, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026
After taking the opener, Norrie marched out to a 4-0 lead in the second, with Medvedev yelling at himself and his coach in French and frequently gesticulating to his box.
From BBC ● May 27, 2025
Jennifer/Charles and Becca eventually appear at the end of the line, chatting and gesticulating, and Jennifer/Charles blows me a kiss.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
