as in waving
to direct or notify by a movement or gesture
the referee motioned the team captains to confer with him on the sideline
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of motioning
In security footage obtained by ABC 13, the officer, alleged to be Carrico, is seen motioning the woman to take a seat; the woman complies.
—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
In video shared by the outlet, Stewart grips surfaces for support while singing before motioning to a crew member, who brings over an oxygen tank and places the mask over his nose and mouth.
—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
21 June 2026
Gary Belaria said, motioning toward the parking lot.
—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Officers were able to observe surveillance camera recordings which showed Moskovita motioning the girl toward him, then grabbing her hand and taking her into the restroom.
—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Anunoby was having another strong game Wednesday before appearing to suffer a leg injury and motioning to come out of the game.
—
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Meanwhile, Soler and López began trading words, with López seemingly motioning at Soler to do something.
—
Johnny Flores Jr,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
With the game well out of reach and 10 seconds to play, Tre White dunked — despite Self motioning from the sideline to dribble it out.
—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2026
Roberts joked, motioning for the entire auditorium at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles to stand for her.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
In video shared by the outlet, Stewart grips surfaces for support while singing before motioning to a crew member, who brings over an oxygen tank and places the mask over his nose and mouth.
—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
21 June 2026
Gary Belaria said, motioning toward the parking lot.
—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Officers were able to observe surveillance camera recordings which showed Moskovita motioning the girl toward him, then grabbing her hand and taking her into the restroom.
—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Anunoby was having another strong game Wednesday before appearing to suffer a leg injury and motioning to come out of the game.
—
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Meanwhile, Soler and López began trading words, with López seemingly motioning at Soler to do something.
—
Johnny Flores Jr,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
With the game well out of reach and 10 seconds to play, Tre White dunked — despite Self motioning from the sideline to dribble it out.
—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2026
Roberts joked, motioning for the entire auditorium at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles to stand for her.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motioning
Verb
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Turn to face the shore, tread water, and signal for help by calling out or waving your arms.
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Like Eala, his matches are chock-a-block with soccer-style flag waving, face painting and vociferous cheering.
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.
Cite this Entry
“Motioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motioning. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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