as in gesturing
to move your arms and hands especially when speaking in an angry or emotional way
He was gesticulating wildly during his speech.
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Recent Examples of gesticulating
Instead of ripping off his shirt, or wildly gesticulating, McTominay ran to the edge of the pitch with his hands facing down and his lips pursed.
—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
16 June 2026
Imagery was multiplied to tell a story—the stentorian Mussolini, with his upraised chin and bald head, delivering a speech, or Hitler, with his toothbrush mustache, gesticulating.
—
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Video footage of the incident obtained by KQED appears to show the women gesticulating and shouting at the correctional staff before the officers form a line and deploy pepper spray and mace grenades at the group.
—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
The video, without sound, shows the three of them gesticulating at each other before the 13-year-old in red pants appears to charge David and stab him.
—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2026
In preschool, he was given a wordless role as Farmer McGregor in a school production of Peter Rabbit and began hamming it up, counting the missing tomatoes and gesticulating at his nemesis rabbit.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Their remaining team-mates applauded the away enclosure, but many in that section were gesticulating their disdain.
—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
16 June 2026
Imagery was multiplied to tell a story—the stentorian Mussolini, with his upraised chin and bald head, delivering a speech, or Hitler, with his toothbrush mustache, gesticulating.
—
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Video footage of the incident obtained by KQED appears to show the women gesticulating and shouting at the correctional staff before the officers form a line and deploy pepper spray and mace grenades at the group.
—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
The video, without sound, shows the three of them gesticulating at each other before the 13-year-old in red pants appears to charge David and stab him.
—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2026
In preschool, he was given a wordless role as Farmer McGregor in a school production of Peter Rabbit and began hamming it up, counting the missing tomatoes and gesticulating at his nemesis rabbit.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Their remaining team-mates applauded the away enclosure, but many in that section were gesticulating their disdain.
—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gesticulating
Verb
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Just three minutes later, Isak was inside the penalty area with a great scoring chance, but Suzuki deflected it wide and over the end line, angrily gesturing toward some of his teammates as Sweden lined up for another corner kick.
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The launch tubes themselves don’t appear to be loaded, but the men carefully adjust the angle of the launcher, gesturing to each other with colored flags.
Verb
-
Turn to face the shore, tread water, and signal for help by calling out or waving your arms.
-
Like Eala, his matches are chock-a-block with soccer-style flag waving, face painting and vociferous cheering.
Verb
-
Miller’s exact dress from Debute London, which features a bustier top, lace trim, and a short hemline, is a great example of the details that turn the trend more contemporary, while still nodding to its nostalgic, charming nature.
-
Nike sneakers emblazoned with the Haitian flag, nodding to her Haitian roots.
Cite this Entry
“Gesticulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gesticulating. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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