gesture

[jes-cher]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gesture ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a movement or position of the hand, arm, body, head, or face that is expressive of an idea, opinion, emotion, etc.: the gestures of an orator; a threatening gesture.

the use of such movements to express thought, emotion, etc.

any action, courtesy, communication, etc., intended for effect or as a formality; considered expression; demonstration: a gesture of friendship.

Digital Technology. a particular movement of the body, typically the fingers or hand, used to control or interact with a digital device (often used attributively): a gesture command; Use a two-finger pinching gesture on your touchscreen to zoom in or out.

verb (used without object), ges·tured, ges·tur·ing.

to make or use a gesture or gestures.

verb (used with object), ges·tured, ges·tur·ing.

to express by a gesture or gestures.

Origin of gesture

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin gestūra mode of action, manner, bearing, equivalent to Latin gest(us) past participle of gerere to bear, carry on, perform + ūra -ure

Related formsges·tur·al, adjectiveges·tur·er, nounun·ges·tur·al, adjectiveun·ges·tur·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gestured

flag, indicate, mime, signal, signalize, wave, pantomime

Examples from the Web for gestured

Contemporary Examples of gestured

When we nodded, she broke into a wide grin, gestured with two thumbs up, and finished off with a high-five.
Going Back to Vietnam Is Sometimes Amusing, Often Fraught, and Always Surreal
Jeff Greenfield
March 9, 2014
And he gestured toward ideas—straightforward cash payments and an end to means-testing—that would sit well with liberals.
Paul Ryan’s Proposed War on Poverty Is Hobbled by Conservative Ideology
Jamelle Bouie
January 14, 2014
He gestured for everyone to look down into a little vale that opened up to the side of their path.
Benjamin Franklin, America’s First Storm Chaser
Lee Sandlin
April 14, 2013
Sulaiman gestured with his freed hands to the lawyers seated on either side of him.
Bin Laden’s Son-in-Law Is Arraigned Just Blocks From the Twin Towers
Michael Daly
March 9, 2013
He gestured and called for them to ignore him and go into the temple, where more people likely needed help.
The Spirit of 9/11—From Brooklyn and India, Oak Creek Heroes Face Evil
Michael Daly
August 7, 2012

Historical Examples of gestured

I was at a loss, until he gestured toward the room of the Honourable George.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
She gestured at the sullen Franklin who was sitting on the couch.
The World Beyond
Raymond King Cummings
"By God, if he should try that—to equate her from Logical into reject—" He gestured helplessly.
We're Friends, Now
Henry Hasse
For answer the Eurasian gestured apologetically to his guards.
The Affair of the Brains
Anthony Gilmore
He gestured and waved, and, to Foster, the sign language was plain.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, June, 1930
Various

British Dictionary definitions for gestured

gesture

noun

a motion of the hands, head, or body to emphasize an idea or emotion, esp while speaking

something said or done as a formality or as an indication of intentiona political gesture

obsolete the manner in which a person bears himself; posture

verb

to express by or make gestures; gesticulate

Derived Formsgestural, adjectivegesturer, noun

Word Origin for gesture

C15: from Medieval Latin gestūra bearing, from Latin gestus, past participle of gerere to bear

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

Word Origin and History for gestured

gesture

1540s, from gesture (n.). Related: Gestured; gesturing.

gesture

early 15c., "manner of carrying the body," from Medieval Latin gestura "bearing, behavior," from Latin gestus "gesture, carriage, posture" (see gest). Restricted sense of "a movement of the body or a part of it" is from 1550s; figurative sense of "action undertaken in good will to express feeling" is from 1916.