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
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
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
-
Leaning over the side of a small speedboat, Jhon Cantillo scoops up a thick clump of bright green vegetation, holding it up before gesturing toward the horizon, where the plant spreads across the waters as far as the eye can see.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
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There was at times much gesturing about his hands.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
Verb
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During the game, the camera highlighted the couple, and their daughters quickly took the opportunity to make their presence known by waving towards the big screen, per E!—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Instead, it is filled with a froth of virtual particles becoming real in pairs, waving to us, annihilating each other, and sinking back into the soup of virtual particles.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The metaphor of perfect communication as nodding to our contemporary AI revolution is specious beyond a point.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
-
Shipp asked, smiling and nodding slowly.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gesticulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gesticulating. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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