verb

• 1Make a gesture with the hand, arm, or head to encourage or instruct someone to approach or follow.

  ‘Miranda beckoned to Adam’

  More example sentences

  • ‘A policeman beckoned to Sykes and instructed him to follow him.’
  • ‘Reading the look on her husband's face, Marie scooped up a very dirty Little Joe and beckoned to Hoss to follow her upstairs.’
  • ‘I snapped, but all the same beckoned to her to follow me.’
  • ‘He beckoned to me to follow him out onto the dance floor, so I did as told.’
  • ‘The little Yoshunta beckoned to her, and she followed.’
  • ‘‘I hope you will excuse me,’ he said, and beckoned to the soldier to follow him.’
  • ‘The man beckoned to Gaden to come hither; Gaden apprehensively approached the merchant.’
  • ‘I beckoned to the girls, and they followed me upstairs and into my room.’
  • ‘Keenan lifted his hand and beckoned to her, and slowly, she approached him.’
  • ‘He beckoned to the ones he had called, and we followed him to the upstairs.’
  • ‘Jose moved further into the cave-like room and beckoned to a young woman who followed him in.’
  • ‘In a fluid, snapping motion, Derryn shifted his feet apart and beckoned to the soldier with an outstretched palm.’
  • ‘She beckoned to her friend with a nod of the head.’
  • ‘Ugly as its surroundings may be, for more than 60 years the bright orange ball has successfully beckoned to the thirsty and the hungry.’
  • ‘As I was taking this, a man beckoned to me from around the corner.’
  • ‘The woman opened a window silently and beckoned to the young man to climb through the opening.’
  • ‘‘Come here,’ Gillian beckoned to him and pointed to the silver shinny button on the top of the camera.’
  • ‘Susan beckoned to me to walk with her down the hall.’
  • ‘And after catching the vicar's eye once again, he relented and beckoned to him to come over and join them, which he did with alacrity.’
  • ‘I watched them until they reached the curb, all the way down the sidewalk, and then Chaz beckoned to his brother with his arm and took off again at an angle.’

  Synonyms

  gesture, signal, wave, gesticulate, make a gesture, motion, nod, call

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1with object and adverbial of direction Summon (someone) by beckoning to them.
     ‘he beckoned Cameron over’
     More example sentences

     • ‘he beckoned Duncan to follow’
     • ‘I popped the three fruits on a wall and beckoned people over to identify which was which, with varying degrees of success.’
     • ‘Romantic and sexy, Paris beckons people from all over the world to bask in its splendor.’
     • ‘A person beckoning someone else extends an arm with the palm turned down and brings the fingers toward the wrist.’
     • ‘They beckon people to them from the whole planet, witnesses of our common history, in many ways still mysterious and incomprehensible.’
     • ‘A second piece is a travel primer, Easily assembled at home, and for use by those who have never traveled to lands beyond, which beckons us to step beyond our safe boundaries.’
     • ‘A larger man notices me from across the center, and beckons me to advance.’
     • ‘We're in the queue at the supermarket, one of those queues where everybody stands in a line and when the cashier beckons you over when they're free.’
     • ‘Each time he beckons the attendant to hand the call to him.’
     • ‘But Topsy smacks the dogs off the bed frame, shakes the filthy blankets and beckons me to sit and wait.’
     • ‘Gulnara, his wife, beckons us into their kitchen with a bottle of honey whisky made by her in-laws in Bashkortostan.’
     • ‘Then the local man unloads the ropes and headlamps and beckons Chris forward.’
     • ‘Upon entering, a charming flapper greets you and beckons you to see the 1920's show.’
     • ‘In the finest tradition of Irish storytellers he beckons the audience to walk with him.’
     • ‘The young man beckons us into his tiny shop and spreads out some diaphanous silks for our inspection.’
     • ‘A young girl beckons him inside, and Gabriel soon realises he is to be paid in kind.’
     • ‘Some of Fitzroy's residents still claim to remember when they could hear the whistles of factories beckoning workers to their production lines and workshops.’
     • ‘They were pointing at me, beckoning me to join them on stage.’
     • ‘The branches of the nearest trees practically touch our home, ever beckoning us into the hundred acre wood.’
     • ‘As if in answer to his question, Dr. Jewels stretched out his arm beckoning Johnny forward.’
     • ‘Further down the country road, an impressive gateway beckons the visitor up a long, winding driveway, leading to a rambling old building with turrets and a large, broken clockface.’
  2. 1.2Appear attractive or inviting.
     ‘the going is tough and soft options beckon’
     More example sentences

     • ‘A life in politics appeared to beckon, but all that changed as Verges watched France's brutal attempts to quell the Algerian uprising against its colonial master in the late 1950s.’
     • ‘Too often they turned over ball, and too often they took wrong options when chances beckoned.’
     • ‘The Statue of Liberty beckons ever more invitingly to the huddled masses of over-taxed, over-regulated British wealth creators.’
     • ‘A multiplicity of interesting directions beckon, tempting you to take on too much by rushing into something new before finishing the last thing you started.’
     • ‘The golf courses of Mayo and Galway beckon invitingly but he reckons he might tire of the golf after a few months.’
     • ‘The Broken Claw river flowing through the town beckoned invitingly, but there were formalities to go through first; time for bathing later.’
     • ‘I would elaborate further but college beckons, so bring it on!’
     • ‘He took up swimming and diving, and joined a marching band, but the lure of the stage beckoned.’
     • ‘In the warm sunshine ancient courtyards beckon, inviting exploration.’
     • ‘Such statistics suggest a date in Tampa in January beckons, with the NFL West title already appearing to be a mere formality.’
     • ‘It is nothing but a situation that beckons and lures from distance but when it is attained and becomes a reality, that reality has it's own troubles and problems to overcome.’
     • ‘Then, I felt the ocean beckoning, pulling on the stone, as if the salt water on the surface of the stone was being called home.’
     • ‘Wherever they occur on earth, high places and remote places beckon and enchant us.’
     • ‘As the new cyberfrontier beckons, America's prospects appear bright.’
     • ‘Salford appeared on the up but the Northern Ford Premiership beckons if yesterday is anything to go by.’
     • ‘Her voice was soft and melodious, hypnotizing and somehow beckoning.’
     • ‘A particularly soft blanket of green seemed to beckon, and she settled herself amid the springy blades.’
     Synonyms

     entice, invite, tempt, coax, lure, charm, attract, draw, pull, pull in, bring in, call, allure, interest, fascinate, engage, enchant, captivate, persuade, induce, catch the eye of

     View synonyms