gesture

gesture — noun

1. a visible movement of your hands, arms, head, or face that carries a particular

1.nounB1
Definition

a visible movement of your hands, arms, head, or face that carries a particular meaning or emotion

Example

Ari made a thumbs-up gesture to show that everything was fine.

collocation: make a gesture

Chiara's frantic waving gesture caught the attention of the lifeguard.

adjective + gesture: frantic/threatening/friendly

Common collocations
  • make a gesture
  • use a gesture
  • threatening gesture
  • friendly gesture
  • hand gesture
  • gesture of agreement
  • gesture of defiance
Synonyms
  • signal

    a broader term that can include sounds, lights, or signs, not just body movement

  • sign

    can refer to any communicative indicator, including symbols and written marks

  • motion

    slightly more formal; often used in descriptions of directing or commanding

Usage Note

This sense can be countable (a single hand movement) or uncountable (the general practice of using body movements to communicate).

Common Mistakes

He made a gesture with his foot under the table.
He made a gesture with his hand under the table.
In English, gesture typically involves the hands, arms, head, or face, not feet.

2. an act or remark whose main purpose is to express a feeling or attitude, even if

2.nounB2
Definition

an act or remark whose main purpose is to express a feeling or attitude, even if it produces no real or lasting change in the situation

Example

The company gave each worker a small bonus as a gesture of appreciation.

as a gesture of + abstract noun

Nala brought soup to her sick neighbor — a kind gesture that cost very little.

Common collocations
  • kind gesture
  • empty gesture
  • symbolic gesture
  • gesture of goodwill
  • gesture of support
  • political gesture
  • as a gesture of
Synonyms
  • token

    often implies the gesture is small or symbolic rather than substantial

  • act

    a more neutral, general word that does not carry the 'symbolic' connotation

  • display

    suggests a more public or dramatic expression of feeling

gesture — verb

Word family

  • gestural
    adjectiveC1
  • gesticulate
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Gesture, signal, sign, motion, and wave all relate to communicating without words, but they differ in scope and medium. A gesture is specifically a movement of the body — most often the hands or head — that conveys meaning. A signal can be any prearranged cue, including a sound (a bell), a light (a flashing beacon), or a flag; it implies an agreed-upon code. Sign is even broader, covering written symbols (a stop sign), body language (a sign of nervousness), and abstract indicators. Motion is a more formal synonym for gesture, common in written narrative ('He motioned for her to sit'), but it can also mean mere movement without communicative intent. Wave refers to a specific hand gesture — opening and closing the hand or moving it side to side — typically for greeting or calling attention. For everyday body language, gesture is the most natural choice; use signal or sign when the communication follows a known code, and motion in storytelling or formal descriptions.

signal ↗sign ↗motion ↗wave ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • as a gesture of
  • make a gesture
  • an empty gesture
  • gesture for someone to

Prepositions

Etymology

Latinmedieval LatinEnglish

Gesture entered English in the 1400s from medieval Latin gestura, meaning 'mode of action' or 'bearing'. It traces further back to Latin gerere, meaning 'to carry, to perform, to do'. The word originally referred to the way a person carried themselves or behaved, and it gradually narrowed to describe body movements used to communicate feelings or ideas.