I. ges ‧ ture 1 /ˈdʒestʃə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: gestura , from Latin gestus 'action, gesture' , from gerere 'to bear' ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] a movement of part of your body, especially your hands or head, to show what you mean or how you feel
in a ... gesture (of something)
Jim raised his hands in a despairing gesture.
Luke made an obscene gesture with his finger.
gesture of
She shook her head with a gesture of impatience.
2 . [countable] something that you say or do, often something small, to show how you feel about someone or something:
They decided it would be a nice gesture to send her a card.
Tearing up the price list was simply a symbolic gesture.
gesture of
As a gesture of goodwill, we have decided to waive the charges on this occasion.
gesture towards
The Queen has now made a gesture towards public opinion.
—gestural adjective
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ adjectives
▪ a rude gesture
Luke made a rude gesture with his finger.
▪ an obscene gesture (=extremely rude)
The player was fined for making an obscene gesture at the referee.
▪ an angry/threatening gesture
One of the men made a threatening gesture, and I ran.
■ verbs
▪ make a gesture
He made a gesture of annoyance.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ adjectives
▪ a nice gesture
It would be a nice gesture if we gave them something to say 'thank you'.
▪ a generous gesture
He had made a very generous gesture to the school.
▪ a friendly gesture
Ella bought him a drink as a friendly gesture.
▪ a grand gesture (=something you do to make people notice you)
Love is not about grand gestures and expensive gifts.
▪ a dramatic gesture
In politics, dramatic gestures are sometimes necessary.
▪ a bold gesture (=something you do that shows you are not scared of taking risks)
Appointing one of his opponents to the government was seen as a bold gesture of reconciliation.
▪ a symbolic gesture (=something you do that shows people how you feel)
In a symbolic gesture, he renounced his $10,000 monthly presidential salary.
▪ an empty gesture (=something you do that does not achieve anything important)
The President's attempt at negotiation was an empty gesture which failed to satisfy his critics.
▪ a token gesture (=something you do so that you can pretend that you are dealing with a problem)
The inclusion of just one woman on the committee was seen as a token gesture.
▪ a conciliatory gesture (=something you do to stop someone from arguing with you)
The government made several conciliatory gestures to the protestors.
■ phrases
▪ a gesture of goodwill (=something you do to show you want to be helpful)
As a gesture of goodwill, customers will be offered a full refund.
▪ a gesture of friendship
He invited the two men to his house as a gesture of friendship.
▪ a gesture of support
She wrote a letter to the Prime Minister as a gesture of support.
▪ a gesture of solidarity (=something you do to show loyalty and support)
People sent food parcels to the strikers as a gesture of solidarity.
▪ a gesture of defiance (=something done to show that you will not do what someone tells you to do)
The rebels launched an attack as a gesture of defiance.
▪ make a gesture towards somebody/something (=do something to show that you have some respect for someone or something)
The drinks industry has made a gesture towards reducing alcohol misuse by setting up a research group.
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THESAURUS
▪ action noun [countable] something that someone does:
He is responsible for his own actions.
|
They refused to give a reason for their actions.
▪ act noun [countable] a particular type of action:
violent acts
| act of violence/kindness/defiance etc :
I believe the killing was an act of desperation.
▪ activities noun [plural] things that people do, especially for enjoyment or to achieve an aim:
leisure activities
|
political activities
|
Surveys may not give a true picture of people’s activities.
▪ behaviour British English , behavior American English noun [uncountable] the things that someone does and the way they behave:
Do you think that advertisements really influence people’s behaviour?
|
The man’s behaviour seemed rather odd.
▪ move noun [countable] something that you do in order to achieve something:
Her decision to sell the shares had been a smart move.
|
It’s a bold move to start a business in the current economic climate.
|
He needed time to figure out his next move.
▪ step noun [countable] one of a series of things that you do in order to deal with a problem or to succeed:
The first step is to make sure we have got funding for the project.
|
We must take steps to make sure that this does not happen again.
|
This is an important step towards peace.
▪ measure noun [countable] an official action that is intended to deal with a particular problem:
There are increased security measures at airports.
|
The school was closed as a precautionary measure following a chemical leak.
▪ gesture noun [countable] something that you do to show how you feel about someone or something:
Do you think it would be a nice gesture to send her some flowers?
| gesture of goodwill/solidarity/defiance :
The company gave us £100 as a gesture of goodwill.
▪ deed noun [countable] especially literary an action, especially one that is very good or very bad:
evil deeds
|
heroic deeds
|
This is my good deed for the day.
▪ exploits noun [plural] formal exciting or brave actions:
daring exploits
|
His exploits were legendary.
▪ feat noun [countable] something someone does that people admire because you need a lot of skill, courage, or strength to do it:
Completing a marathon is a remarkable feat for a six-year-old.
|
The bridge is a great feat of engineering.
II. gesture 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
to move your hand, arm, or head to tell someone something, or show them what you mean
gesture to/towards/at
Brad gestured towards the door. ‘Get out.’
gesture for somebody to do something
He gestured for her to take a seat.