Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to gesticulate

to gesticulate

5 7.6
Move hands or arms when speaking to show an idea
  • verb
  • /dʒɛˈstɪkjʊˌleɪt/
translation icon : gesticular
  • Turning to Robin, Aslan shouts in Arabic and gesticulates wildly at the Captain.

He interrupted, his arms gesticulating wildly, a manic look on his features.

Examples

  • And I'm showing her my left hand, I'm gesticulating with my left hand

    The Last Five Years (2014)

  • The Indian shakes his head, gesticulates, and starts to speak rapidly.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Something had happened to Joe: he was gesticulating wildly, talking to himself, leaping up and then sitting down.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • He interrupted, his arms gesticulating wildly, a manic look on his features.

    The Minimalists

  • But the man goes on strumming, bending nearer to her, gesticulating and laughing ingratiatingly.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • As she passionately spoke about her travels, she began to gesticulate with her hands to emphasize her experiences.

  • The teacher had to gesticulate in front of the class to make sure everyone understood the complicated instructions.

  • During the presentation, he gesticulated dramatically to capture the audience's attention and highlight his key points.

Synonyms

to gesture
vsto gesticulate
62 3.0

To move a hand to show or ask for something

focuses on expressive hand or arm movement especially when speaking
to motion
vsto gesticulate
35 2.1

To move your hand or head to show someone something

is specifically expressive and used to emphasize speech rather than any simple movement
gesticulating
vsto gesticulate
6.3

You move your hands or arms while talking to show feelings

is the present participle used to describe ongoing action

How Expressive

to gesticulate
5 7.6
to gesture
62 3.0
to motion
35 2.1

Surface Forms

gesticulate infinitive
gesticulated past
gesticulated past participle
gesticulating present participle
gesticulates third person singular

Morphology

gesticulate = gesture (semi-transparent) = gesticul + ate

The connection to 'gesture' is clear, but the Latinate verb-forming suffix and internal spelling changes make the morphological link less immediately obvious to many learners.

Etymology

Gesticulate comes from an old word gestus, which means 'movement' and is the same root as the familiar word gesture. So, to gesticulate is to make clear, expressive movements with your hands or arms to show an idea or feeling.