1. (

• gesture ,
• motion

) the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals ;

2. (

• movement ,
• motion

) a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something ;

3. (

• motion ,
• movement ,
• move ,
• motility

) a change of position that does not entail a change of location; "the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise"; "movement is a sign of life"; "an impatient move of his hand"; "gastrointestinal motility" ;

4. (

• motion

) a state of change; "they were in a state of steady motion" ;

5. (

• motion ,
• question ,

) a formal proposal for action made to a deliberative assembly for discussion and vote; "he made a motion to adjourn"; "she called for the question" ;

6. (

• motion ,
• movement ,
• move ,

) the act of changing location from one place to another; "police controlled the motion of the crowd"; "the movement of people from the farms to the cities"; "his move put him directly in my path" ;

7. (

• apparent_motion ,
• motion ,
• apparent_movement ,
• movement

) an optical illusion of motion produced by viewing a rapid succession of still pictures of a moving object; "the cinema relies on apparent motion"; "the succession of flashing lights gave an illusion of movement" ;

1. (

• gesticulate ,
• gesture ,
• motion

) show, express or direct through movement; "He gestured his desire to leave" ;