Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To make gestures especially while speaking, as for emphasis.
  • intransitive verb To say or express by gestures.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make gestures; express thoughts or desires, or emphasize or illustrate speech, by motions of the body or any part of it, especially the hands and arms.
  • To express or represent by gestures; imitate; enact.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To make gestures or motions, as in speaking; to use postures.
  • transitive verb rare To represent by gesture; to act.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To make gestures or motions, as in speaking; to use postures.
  • verb transitive To say or express through gestures.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb show, express or direct through movement

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin gesticulārī, gesticulāt-, from gesticulus, gesticulation, diminutive of gestus, gesture, bearing; see gesture.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin gesticulatus, past participle of gesticulari (to gesticulate) from gesticulus (a mimic gesture), diminutive of gestus (gesture), from gerere, gestum (to bear, carry, perform).

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Examples

  • Opening his hands to gesticulate, he breaks into a smile, explaining, Look.

    An Australian in Burgundy Will Lyons 2011

  • Continuing to gesticulate with hispalm, Mundie moved fromthe 3D street scene into anart gallery; he nextpulled an art object off a pedestal and yanked it off the screen, making it appear tohover in the room of reporters wearing 3D eyeglasses ..

    Microsoft's Natal could launch age of NUI computing 2010

  • I love it when people gesticulate with their hands because in psychological terms, it is a sign of an active mind and warmth and vibrancy.

    Cheeseburger Gothic » Here’s what I did at six o’clock this morning. 2009

  • They look so good as they gesticulate passionately in the city's overflowing cafés or file into its steakhouses, entire family in tow, for dinner at 10 p.m.

    Buenos Aires 2011

  • Apple is designing a television that you can shout and gesticulate at – and it will understand you.

    Next up for Apple, it's iTV – the television that will respond when you shout at it 2011

  • This, said Kierkegaard, is the situation of Christians: The more they gesticulate with their creed, the more laughable they seem to their skeptical neighbors, until the world becomes engulfed in the flames of war and mutual hatred -- a hell on earth as prelude to the hell after death.

    The book by Joseph Ratzinger that "changed history" 2009

  • This, said Kierkegaard, is the situation of Christians: The more they gesticulate with their creed, the more laughable they seem to their skeptical neighbors, until the world becomes engulfed in the flames of war and mutual hatred -- a hell on earth as prelude to the hell after death.

    Atheism 2009

  • Sometimes they totter and gesticulate joltingly at ground level, like dolls brought to life.

    Creative Cirko De Mente evokes . . . well, it's hard to say Celia Wren 2010

  • This, said Kierkegaard, is the situation of Christians: The more they gesticulate with their creed, the more laughable they seem to their skeptical neighbors, until the world becomes engulfed in the flames of war and mutual hatred -- a hell on earth as prelude to the hell after death.

    Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog: 2009

  • A: This woman I live with tells me that when I'm writing dialogue I gesticulate a lot, like I'm acting it out.

    A Q&A with Richard Price 2010

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  • "Well, that's only four and there are four of us." said Athos, "That's equal numbers! Look, there's Grimaud gesticulating!"

    -The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas

    August 1, 2009