Thesaurus results for GESTURES

gestures 1 of 2

noun

plural of gesture

as in signs

a movement of the body or limbs that expresses or emphasizes an idea or feeling a teenager who often shrugs her shoulders in a gesture of indifference

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as in courtesies

an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners sent a handwritten thank-you note as a gesture of his gratitude

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gestures

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of gesture

as in motions

to direct or notify by a movement or gesture the police officer gestured me to the side of the road to tell me my headlight was out

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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 gestures

Noun

We had been told not to point, lest our gestures attract a sniper’s bullets. — Nicolas Niarchos, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026 The gestures of moving, being, and breathing coalesced for Kristin as this poem, which emerged from the state of presence that is meditation-in-action. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 Moran has largely avoided major public gestures, often offering a more measured, lower-profile approach to politics than Marshall. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026 For Putin, these were not goodwill gestures but measures of self-preservation designed to advance his broader aim of subjugating Ukraine. — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026 Participants trade exaggerated gestures, movements and poses, and the crowd’s reaction decides the winner. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 These gestures were easy to learn, although scrolling took a little practice. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026 Williams has been fined numerous times for specific gestures and taunts - nine times, to be exact. — Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Her solo stage program was made from a highly imaginative, eclectic selection of traditional pan-Asian references, poses, and gestures. — Thomas Patier, Artforum, 9 Oct. 2026

Verb

Health care executive Rick Jackson gestures to a supporter while qualifying to run for governor at the Georgia state Capitol last month. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026 Visit some wineries and the old tomato-canning factory at Vlychada, a museum that gestures both to an old family industry and also to contemporary art. — Timothy O'Grady, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gestures

Noun

With midterm elections weeks away, Republicans face signs that some of those gains are slipping.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
With hindsight, there were warning signs, said Constanze Stelzenmüller in the Financial Times.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of signs

Noun

Small courtesies keep big efforts moving forward.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.

— Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

Definition of courtesies

Noun

The performing community challenged that notion, tracing the scat-singing and gesticulations to earlier artists including Black jazz performer Baby Esther Jones and cabaret entertainer Florence Mills.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
But on a Sunday morning in July 1595, the groan of the heavy wooden door startled him from his gesticulations.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026

Definition of gesticulations

Verb

Picture a doorman who checks your ID with great care, then waves you into any apartment in the building.

— Julian Durand, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The Spa At the beach-level spa, the windows were left wide open during my 60-minute Salt Air Reset massage, making all-natural birdsong and waves the soundtrack of my treatment.

— Katie Nanton, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of waves

Noun

Mogwai, who would make their debut the year after Beat was released and with whom Bowery Electric would share a bill, would crouch in similarly unassuming and tense postures and use them to spring out and scare the bejeezus out of people.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Alice and Gemma really don’t seem to get along, and neither seems inclined to back down from their hostile postures.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of postures

Noun

And in a very recent experiment, quantum optical signals in a superposition of different states of light were communicated between South Africa and China over a distance of more than 12,900 kilometers.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Quantum sensors that can guide ships and aircraft without satellite signals.

— Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of signals

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gestured

gestures

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

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Synonyms of gestures

noun

verb

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