gesture

noun

A motion of the limbs or body, especially one made to emphasize speech.

An act or a remark that serves as a formality or as a sign of attitude.

(graphical user interface) A motion made with a pointing device, or on a touchscreen, that is recognised by the system as a command.

(obsolete) The manner of carrying the body; position of the body or limbs; posture.

verb

(intransitive) To make a gesture or gestures.

(transitive) To express (something) by a gesture or gestures.

(transitive) To accompany or illustrate with gesture or action.

(transitive) To express or signal (to someone) by a gesture or gestures (to do something, go somewhere, etc).

Roots

gerogest- · Latin · carry, bear

Synonyms for gesture

gesticulatev gesticulationn motionn kinesicsn dactylologyadj tokenadj

Synonyms & related words for gesture

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of gesture — including gesticulate, gesticulation, motion, kinesics, dactylology, token. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to gesture

Explore words related to gesture — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include gesturer, gesticulative, gestural, handclasp, handshake, amimia, nonverbal, gest. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for gesture

Common synonyms for gesture include gesticulate, gesticulation, motion, kinesics, dactylology, token — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does gesture come from?

The word gesture breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root gest-, from Latin gero (“carry, bear”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.