I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a gesture of friendship (= an action which shows that someone is a friend )
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He invited us to his house as a gesture of friendship.
a hand gesture/signal (= a movement of your hand to show what you mean )
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He made a rude hand gesture at the other driver.
a symbolic gesture
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They fired arrows out to sea in a symbolic gesture of defiance.
a warning gesture
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He put his finger to his lips in a warning gesture.
act/gesture of defiance
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Running away was an act of defiance against his parents.
conciliatory approach/tone/gesture etc
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Perhaps you should adopt a more conciliatory approach.
dismissive gesture/wave/shrug etc
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Cath spread both hands in a dismissive gesture.
expansive gesture
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She flung her arms out in an expansive gesture .
flamboyant gesture
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He lifted his arms in a flamboyant gesture .
goodwill gesture
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A fund was set up as a goodwill gesture to survivors and their families.
obscene gesture
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Bradford made an obscene gesture .
sign/show/gesture etc of good faith
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A ceasefire was declared as a sign of good faith.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
conciliatory
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But even that conciliatory gesture never really convinced me that Don Bradman's signature could make up for that of Jack Hobbs.
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A conciliatory gesture , some argued, would appease the cardinal and Holy Trinity would live to fight another day.
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As a conciliatory gesture , the restaurant was built like a large shack, so as not to be too obtrusive.
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Republicans, in a conciliatory gesture , agreed to let the Democrats chair committees during the period.
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Pressure on the Shiite community was to continue, despite well-publicized conciliatory gestures .
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In 1955, the year of the Geneva summit conference, there were conciliatory gestures towards nuclear disarmament on both sides.
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But the conciliatory gesture itself was significant after the partisan exchanges this summer over policy on asylum and crime.
dismissive
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A dismissive gesture but to Ruth one he didn't relish doing very much.
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The teacher asks the questions; the pupil supplies the answer; the teacher makes a confirming or dismissive comment or gesture .
dramatic
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In a dramatic gesture , Diana pulled out of attending after the split was announced.
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The singular initiative of the B.. Dalton chain is a dramatic and important gesture .
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He knew, says Menotti a little wryly, that it was time for a dramatic gesture .
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It seemed -the least he could do - to deny himself the dramatic gesture , to humiliate himself.
empty
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I tried to make choices, but wound up with empty gestures .
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Words and empty gestures are not enough!
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It was an empty gesture - she knew he wouldn't stay there.
expansive
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Theirs was not a relationship of expansive gestures like that.
generous
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It was a generous gesture to try to ease the tension and relax a fellow professional.
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It was a generous gesture on his part.
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We thank him sincerely for his generous gesture in allowing this debate to take place.
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Only the weather was ominous - the usual generous gestures of support received from congregation and friends were heartwarming.
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No man knew better than he the value of a generous gesture .
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Members of the family would be buried there until the 1940s, thanks to William's generous gesture .
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The Government is optimistic that Bill Clinton will use the last days of his presidency to make a generous gesture on debt.
grand
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Many felt that a grand gesture of statesmanship was required in relation to Northern Ireland.
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What a grand gesture for a small cause, I thought.
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But if Jacquet de la Guerre was a mistress of the grand gesture , Campra's forte was delicate understatement.
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Make the big move, make the grand gesture , do something outrageous.
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Grand aims, he wrote, but no grand gestures .
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The parties, at the moment, are too intransigent for the grand gesture .
nice
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It was a nice gesture to wipe the cup.
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She said payment was not necessary but perhaps a gift of twenty-one rupees would be a nice gesture .
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Either way I thought it a nice gesture , and when I next caught his eye I smiled.
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These were the nice little gestures that went with the setting.
obscene
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The present-day Faust smirked over towards the Professor and made an obscene gesture .
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The rest are elbows delivered, punches thrown, verbally abusing referees, skipping All-Star media day, obscene gestures , tantrum-throwing.
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The long legs parted as the pale blue water took her, like an obscene gesture at Liz.
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Maxham held up two fingers in an obscene gesture .
political
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But that was largely a political gesture .
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This was an important political gesture and it is glossed over here.
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The allegation lends too much importance to political gestures and transparently obvious tricks.
small
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He was aware of an almost imperceptible withdrawing, more emotional than physical, a small delicate gesture of self-containment.
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Handprints in a vast cave carry a tentative quality, a small gesture of presence.
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It remained a small , symbolic gesture of anger at the official policy on education.
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Occasionally, he would move one of his arms, the small gesture unnerving Leroy from unleashing a good punch.
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Lois made a small feathering gesture with her hand and stamped her heel silently.
symbolic
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Surely tearing up the Pope's picture was meant as a symbolic gesture , not a personal affront.
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The roots of the trouble lie in Republican policies that women see as threatening. Symbolic gestures and tokenism are inadequate remedies.
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Last year, in a symbolic gesture , he introduced a 20p tax band.
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Such language suggests that the riots were less about forcing material change than about making symbolic gestures .
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This symbolic gesture seemed to satisfy them.
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But the symbolic gesture is likely to be of dubious long-term value and will depend entirely on the personalities and circumstances involved.
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Or, like Parliament Square, will it occupy the terrain of a symbolic gesture , alive in legend?
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The union leaders appear to be building public support for their cause, with clever use of symbolic gestures and public relations.
■ NOUN
goodwill
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The visit was a goodwill gesture to Raychem, which employs 1,300 people at its sites in Dorcan and Cheney Manor.
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If this makes you uneasy, think about distributing a little preemptive baksheesh as a goodwill gesture .
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She never repeated the goodwill gesture .
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As a goodwill gesture , Pac Bell sent baskets of fruit to competitors welcoming them to the market.
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Some training is carried out as a goodwill gesture .
hand
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His hand gestures were slightly more generous, but there were no other signs of the wine he had drunk.
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But a language, no matter how it is implemented, seems to be a language-even for pictographs or hand gestures .
■ VERB
make
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But if airway going to make a gesture , it's best not to do it while airway white-hot.
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Fong squatted on the floor, his back straight, his small hands raised, making quick gestures as he spoke.
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She went to lean against the wall - he made a vehement negative gesture - she staggered forward again.
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He made a sweeping gesture at the microphones, cameras and reporters.
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The choreographer's problem is how to make subtle or vigorous gesture visible to those on the other side of the footlights.
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The Government is optimistic that Bill Clinton will use the last days of his presidency to make a generous gesture on debt.
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Here they make suitably valedictory gestures , by John Tenniel, October 1886.
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Moran made no gesture , did not even look around him.
use
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Narrative dance applies to those phrases of conversation between individuals or between dancers and public, where the dancer uses explicit gestures .
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Unfolding my wretched map, I used gestures to ask them to indicate our location.
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In ritual usage, the manipulation and playing of the damaru must be carried out using precisely ordained gestures .
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After he learns to use his behaviors and gestures to let you know what he wants, he starts using ideas.
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He made signs with his hands and fingers and Corbett watched fascinated as Benstede replied using identical gestures .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
empty words/gestures/promises etc
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Hadn't he said that to express it would be just empty words?
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He expected her to trust him, but as far as she could see they were just empty words.
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He listens politely, then makes plausible but essentially empty gestures.
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I tried to make choices, but wound up with empty gestures.
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These are not empty words and phrases, but principles given powerful institutional sanction.
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This is the circus of empty promises and dry press releases that are part and parcel of meetings like these.
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To all these petitions the Crown returned empty promises of redress.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Someone in another car started making gestures and pointing at our tires.
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The fight started when one of the fans made a rude gesture at a player.
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The flowers were really a nice gesture .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Her gestures were emphatic but, from a distance, did not appear threatening or abusive.
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Instead, he patted the man's arm once in a gesture of thanks.
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It was one of their gestures, he supposed.
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Mrs Bay was speaking loudly, flailing her arms in wild gestures.
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The visit was a goodwill gesture to Raychem, which employs 1,300 people at its sites in Dorcan and Cheney Manor.
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These relatively complex communicative demands establish the conditions in which simple gestures, such as pointing, are particularly useful.
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Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
wildly
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Inside, I gestured wildly down to Andre who, while all dressed up, was standing around counting flies.
■ NOUN
door
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He gestured abruptly to the door , dismissing the man.
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Menzies gestured towards the front door and went through to draw the bolt.
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I gestured through the doors , through the glass of which traffic could be seen crossing the Szabadsag Bridge.
hand
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I watched his movements, the hands gesturing .
■ VERB
say
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Sit down in the chair, Blue, says Black, gesturing with the gun to the wooden desk chair.
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A bridge is a connection between two points, Peabody said gesturing with index fingers.
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Nelson said , gesturing to the pay phone on the corner.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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"Please sit down," said Winters, gesturing at the chair facing his own.
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Celia began listing their recent purchases and gestured proudly to the fountain.
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I turned to see a large policeman gesturing for us to move along.
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The man was gesturing wildly, but we couldn't understand what he wanted.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Auster opened the door wider and gestured for Quinn to enter the apartment.
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He gestured toward her sister, toward the right, toward life.
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He answered, and she pushed the door wide, and gestured him in after her.
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I watched his movements, the hands gesturing.
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Members of the Illinois delegation jumped up and began gesturing for McGovern to get off the platform, making thumbs-down motions.
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Paul gestured towards the biggest muntjac suspended from the carrying pole and made an elaborate gesture of donation.
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Sorrow warred with anger in his voice, and he gestured briskly with his muscular hands.
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Their voices were faint at this distance, but they could be seen gesturing towards the company.