gesticulating

verb

present participle of gesticulate
as in gesturing
to move your arms and hands especially when speaking in an angry or emotional way He was gesticulating wildly during his speech.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gesticulating Instead of ripping off his shirt, or wildly gesticulating, McTominay ran to the edge of the pitch with his hands facing down and his lips pursed. — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 16 June 2026 Imagery was multiplied to tell a story—the stentorian Mussolini, with his upraised chin and bald head, delivering a speech, or Hitler, with his toothbrush mustache, gesticulating. — Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026 Video footage of the incident obtained by KQED appears to show the women gesticulating and shouting at the correctional staff before the officers form a line and deploy pepper spray and mace grenades at the group. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026 The video, without sound, shows the three of them gesticulating at each other before the 13-year-old in red pants appears to charge David and stab him. — Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2026 In preschool, he was given a wordless role as Farmer McGregor in a school production of Peter Rabbit and began hamming it up, counting the missing tomatoes and gesticulating at his nemesis rabbit. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026 Their remaining team-mates applauded the away enclosure, but many in that section were gesticulating their disdain. — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gesticulating
  1. gesturing
  2. waving
  3. nodding
Verb
  • Prescott then can be seen speaking to Cowboys security and gesturing toward the other man.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The league on Monday suspended line judge Jeff Seeman for two games for swearing at Arizona’s Trey McBride and referee Adrian Hill for one game for yelling and gesturing at Minnesota’s Eric Wilson.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of gesturing
Verb
  • The Lithuanian Parliament moved to allow nuclear weapons on its soil, with a final vote to take place in January, as the Kremlin is already waving red flags over the move.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Defensive lineman Shelby Harris started waving both arms to indicate the game should be over.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of waving
Verb
  • In so doing, Herzog is nodding to the past, but also signaling to soldiers on the ground today that killing a Palestinian is forgivable.
    — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Vintage finds, including an antique Swedish farm table, sit alongside custom bronze racks, while a swath of grass has been installed along the length of the shopfront window, nodding to the prairies of Wescoat Pound’s native Midwest.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of nodding

Browse Nearby Words

gesticulates
gesticulating
gesticulation
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Cite this Entry

“Gesticulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gesticulating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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