gesticulate
verb/dʒɛˈstɪkjʊleɪt/
Frequency rank: #19,913 most common English word
Meaning
to use gestures, especially dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize what one is saying.

Example sentence
The tour guide began to gesticulate wildly when he realized the tourists could not hear him over the noise.
Synonyms & related words
Practice this word in the quiz
More words in ranks 19,901–20,000
- catkina slim, cylindrical flower cluster that hangs from trees such as willows or birches.
- glowworma crawling insect or larva that produces a soft glowing light from its body, especially at night.
- palmateshaped like an open hand with fingers spread; having lobes or leaflets radiating from a common point.
- sandhiA phonological process in which sounds change at the boundary between words or morphemes.
- annelidA member of the phylum Annelida; a worm with a body divided into ring-like segments, such as an earthworm or leech.
- laharA destructive mudflow or debris flow composed of volcanic material and water flowing down the slopes of a volcano.
- misgivingA feeling of doubt, worry, or distrust about a future event or action.
- petrificationA state of being so frightened that one cannot move; also, the process of turning organic matter into stone.
- polysemyThe coexistence of multiple related meanings within a single word.
- sporangiumA case or capsule in which spores are produced and stored in fungi, algae, mosses, and ferns.