beckon

(redirected from beckons)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

beck·on

(bĕk′ən)

v. beck·oned, beck·on·ing, beck·ons

v.tr.

1. To signal or summon, as by nodding or waving.

2. To attract because of an inviting or enticing appearance: "a lovely, sunny country that seemed to beckon them on to the Emerald City" (L. Frank Baum).

v.intr.

1. To make a signaling or summoning gesture.

2. To be inviting or enticing.

A gesture of summons.

[Middle English bekenen, from Old English bīecnan, bēcnan; see bhā- in Indo-European roots.]

beck′on·er n.

beck′on·ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

beckon

(ˈbɛkən)

1. to summon with a gesture of the hand or head

2. to entice or lure

a summoning gesture

[Old English bīecnan, from bēacen sign; related to Old Saxon bōknian; see beacon]

ˈbeckoner n

ˈbeckoning adj, n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

beck•on

(ˈbɛk ən)
v.i.

1. to signal, summon, or direct by a gesture of the head or hand.

2. to lure; entice.

3. a nod, gesture, etc., that signals, directs, or summons.

[before 950; Middle English beknen, Old English gebē(a)cnian, derivative of bēacen beacon]

beck′on•er, n.

beckon

Past participle: beckoned
Gerund: beckoning

Imperative
beckon
beckon

Present
I beckon
you beckon
he/she/it beckons
we beckon
you beckon
they beckon

Preterite
I beckoned
you beckoned
he/she/it beckoned
we beckoned
you beckoned
they beckoned

Present Continuous
I am beckoning
you are beckoning
he/she/it is beckoning
we are beckoning
you are beckoning
they are beckoning

Present Perfect
I have beckoned
you have beckoned
he/she/it has beckoned
we have beckoned
you have beckoned
they have beckoned

Past Continuous
I was beckoning
you were beckoning
he/she/it was beckoning
we were beckoning
you were beckoning
they were beckoning

Past Perfect
I had beckoned
you had beckoned
he/she/it had beckoned
we had beckoned
you had beckoned
they had beckoned

Future
I will beckon
you will beckon
he/she/it will beckon
we will beckon
you will beckon
they will beckon

Future Perfect
I will have beckoned
you will have beckoned
he/she/it will have beckoned
we will have beckoned
you will have beckoned
they will have beckoned

Future Continuous
I will be beckoning
you will be beckoning
he/she/it will be beckoning
we will be beckoning
you will be beckoning
they will be beckoning

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been beckoning
you have been beckoning
he/she/it has been beckoning
we have been beckoning
you have been beckoning
they have been beckoning

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been beckoning
you will have been beckoning
he/she/it will have been beckoning
we will have been beckoning
you will have been beckoning
they will have been beckoning

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been beckoning
you had been beckoning
he/she/it had been beckoning
we had been beckoning
you had been beckoning
they had been beckoning

Conditional
I would beckon
you would beckon
he/she/it would beckon
we would beckon
you would beckon
they would beckon

Past Conditional
I would have beckoned
you would have beckoned
he/she/it would have beckoned
we would have beckoned
you would have beckoned
they would have beckoned

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	beckon - signal with the hands or nod; "She waved to her friends"; "He waved his hand hospitably" wave gesticulate, gesture, motion - show, express or direct through movement; "He gestured his desire to leave"
	2.	beckon - appear inviting; "The shop window decorations beckoned" attract, appeal - be attractive to; "The idea of a vacation appeals to me"; "The beautiful garden attracted many people"
	3.	beckon - summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture summon - ask to come; "summon a lawyer"

beckon

verb

1. gesture, sign, bid, wave, indicate, signal, nod, motion, summon, gesticulate He beckoned to the waiter.

2. lure, call, draw, pull, attract, invite, tempt, entice, coax, allure All the attractions of the peninsula beckon.

3. draw near, near, move towards someone, come close, gain on someone, come near Old age beckons.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

يومئ، يُشيرُ إلى

lákatvábitvyzvat

give et vinkgøre tegnkalde

heranwinken winken

faire signe à

benda, gefa bendingu

accennare chiamare con un cenno

mostelėtipirštu pakviesti

aicināt

gi tegn til å komme vinke

манить

kývnutím privolať

işaret edip çağırmak

用手召唤

beckon

[ˈbekən]

A. VT

1. (= signal) → llamar con señas, hacer señas a
he beckoned me in/over → me hizo señas para que entrara/me acercara

2. (= attract) → llamar, atraer

B. VI

1. (= signal) to beckon to sb → llamar a algn con señas, hacer señas a algn

2. (= be attractive) [bright lights, fame] → ejercer su atracción

3. (= loom) → avecinarse, estar a la vuelta de la esquina

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

beckon

[ˈbɛkən]

vi [attraction]
All the attractions of the city beckon → Toutes les attractions de la ville nous attirent.
Fame and fortune beckoned; he → La gloire et la fortune l'attiraient; il ...

(= gesture) to beckon to sb → faire signe à qn

vt
to beckon sb over → faire signe de venir à qn
He beckoned her over → Il lui fit signe de venir.

beckon

vi → winken; he beckoned to her to follow (him) → er gab ihr ein Zeichen or winkte ihr, ihm zu folgen; opportunities beckon for talented young players → jungen begabten Spielern stehen viele Möglichkeiten offen; fame/Hollywood beckoned → der Ruhm/Hollywood lockte

vt → winken; (fig: fame) → locken; he beckoned her to follow (him) → er gab ihr ein Zeichen or winkte ihr, ihm zu folgen; he beckoned me in/back/over → er winkte mich herein/zurück/herüber

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

beckon

[ˈbɛk/ən] vt & vi to beckon to sb → chiamare qn con un cenno
he beckoned me in/over → mi ha fatto cenno di entrare/di avvicinarmi

beckon

(ˈbekən) verb

to summon (someone) by making a sign with the fingers.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

"I want to speak to you," she says, and beckons impatiently to Emily.

View in context

Let us turn our backs upon duty and abandon ourselves to the delights and advantages which beckon from every grove and call to us from every shining hill.

View in context

I immediately ran down the ladders with all possible expedition, fetched my two guns, for they were both at the foot of the ladders, as I observed before, and getting up again with the same haste to the top of the hill, I crossed towards the sea; and having a very short cut, and all down hill, placed myself in the way between the pursuers and the pursued, hallowing aloud to him that fled, who, looking back, was at first perhaps as much frightened at me as at them; but I beckoned with my hand to him to come back; and, in the meantime, I slowly advanced towards the two that followed; then rushing at once upon the foremost, I knocked him down with the stock of my piece.

View in context

It stirred, it lifted itself, it beckoned towards the shadow which hid the head of the cleft and the piled-up corpses that lay there, and it seemed to me that the arm was the arm of Baleka.

View in context

In the morning of life they are rapt by intoxicating visions of some great haberdashery business, beckoned to by the voluptuous enticements of the legal profession, or maybe the Holy Grail they forswear all else to seek is a snug editorial chair.

View in context

Squalor and tragedy can beckon to all that is great in us, and strengthen the wings of love.

View in context

"An unintentional cry of Joy escaped the Youth, he let his Zither fall, and with extended arms he called out the name of the enigmatical Being, who seemed to stoop lovingly to him and beckon to him in a friendly manner; indeed, if his ear did not deceive him, she called his name with unutterable sweet Whispers, proper to love.

View in context

Creeping ahead and peering into the clearing for a moment, Binu Charley beckoned Sheldon to come on cautiously.

View in context

She nodded towards the window, and beckoned with her hand.

View in context

At every turn in the world in which I lived, John Barleycorn beckoned. There was no escaping him.

View in context

The gentleman then beckoned to the young lady, and they, too, went out.

View in context

"Stay, did he really beckon?" Raskolnikov wondered, but he tried to overtake him.