Definitions for gesture
ˈdʒɛs tʃərges·ture

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. gesture(noun)

   motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling

2. gesture, motion(noun)

   the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals

3. gesture(verb)

   something done as an indication of intention

   "a political gesture"; "a gesture of defiance"

4. gesticulate, gesture, motion(verb)

   show, express or direct through movement

   "He gestured his desire to leave"

Wiktionary(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. gesture(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From gestura, from gerere, past participle gestus.

2. gesture(Noun)

   An act or a remark made as a formality or as a sign of attitude.

   We took flowers as a gesture of sympathy.

   Etymology: From gestura, from gerere, past participle gestus.

3. gesture(Verb)

   To make a gesture or gestures.

   My dad said to never gesture with my hands when I talk.

   Etymology: From gestura, from gerere, past participle gestus.

4. gesture(Verb)

   To express something by a gesture or gestures.

   Never gesture at someone with a middle finger.

   Etymology: From gestura, from gerere, past participle gestus.

Webster Dictionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Gesture(noun)

   manner of carrying the body; position of the body or limbs; posture

   Etymology: [LL. gestura mode of action, fr. L. gerere, gestum, to bear, behave, perform, act. See Gest a deed.]

2. Gesture(noun)

   a motion of the body or limbs expressive of sentiment or passion; any action or posture intended to express an idea or a passion, or to enforce or emphasize an argument, assertion, or opinion

   Etymology: [LL. gestura mode of action, fr. L. gerere, gestum, to bear, behave, perform, act. See Gest a deed.]

3. Gesture(verb)

   to accompany or illustrate with gesture or action; to gesticulate

   Etymology: [LL. gestura mode of action, fr. L. gerere, gestum, to bear, behave, perform, act. See Gest a deed.]

4. Gesture(verb)

   to make gestures; to gesticulate

   Etymology: [LL. gestura mode of action, fr. L. gerere, gestum, to bear, behave, perform, act. See Gest a deed.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Gesture

   A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with words. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body. Gestures differ from physical non-verbal communication that does not communicate specific messages, such as purely expressive displays, proxemics, or displays of joint attention. Gestures allow individuals to communicate a variety of feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection, often together with body language in addition to words when they speak. Gesture processing takes place in areas of the brain such as Broca's and Wernicke's areas, which are used by speech and sign language.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Gesture

   jes′tūr, n. a posture, or movement of the body: an action expressive of sentiment or passion: (Shak.) behaviour.—adj. Ges′tural. [Low L. gestura—L. gestus, from L. gerĕre, to carry.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. gesture

   A form of communication or action.

   As a gesture of goodwill to all its customers the mobile telephone providers gave all customers unlimited data plans.

   Submitted by MaryC on April 18, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'gesture' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4401

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'gesture' in Nouns Frequency: #1501

How to pronounce gesture?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say gesture in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of gesture in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of gesture in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of gesture in a Sentence

1. Kevin McCarthy:

   Ultimately, this executive' guidance' is only a weak gesture - a shell of what the president actually wants.

2. Igor Lebedev:

   You can only say thank you for such a stupid gesture, i respect Igor Lebedev as a footballer but this kind of action is unforgivable for a person of this level. Patriotism is not shown on T-shirts or on pictures...

3. Bobby Baehr:

   I knew a little gesture like this would mean a lot to him, frank’s the type of guy who needs something to look forward to, whether it’s a football game or a basketball game. He was going through some hard times.

4. Shen Lyushun:

   We especially did not let them (the U.S.) know. It was a goodwill gesture, if China protests, you can say you didn't know.

5. Anne Hidalgo:

   I replied that his heroic gesture was an example for all citizens and that the City of Paris will obviously be keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France.

Images & Illustrations of gesture

Popularity rank by frequency of use