beckon C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /ˈbɛkən/ UK /ˈbɛkən/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like bacon /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/ Meanings 1 verb to signal or summon with a gesture She beckoned the waiter over with a discreet wave. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to signal or summon with a... summonsignalgesturewavemotioncallinvite ↔ Opposites dismissrepelwave off Word family Derived forms beckonedbeckoning Related forms beckbeacon Etymology AI details From Old English bēacnian ('to make a sign, signal'), derived from bēacen ('a sign, beacon'), from Proto-Germanic *baukną. Related to beacon. bēacnian Old English *baukną Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # beckon **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˈbɛkən/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbɛkən/ ## Meanings 1. to signal or summon with a gesture ## Examples - She beckoned the waiter over with a discreet wave. ## Synonyms - summon - signal - gesture - wave - motion - call - invite ## Antonyms - dismiss - repel - wave off ## Derived Forms - beckoned - beckoning ## Related Forms - beck - beacon ## Roots and Affixes - Root: bēacnian - Root: *baukną ## Etymology From Old English bēacnian ('to make a sign, signal'), derived from bēacen ('a sign, beacon'), from Proto-Germanic *baukną. Related to beacon. ## AI Etymology Beckon is a verb meaning "to signal or summon with a gesture". Historically, it is from Old English bēacnian ('to make a sign, signal'), derived from bēacen ('a sign, beacon'), from Proto-Germanic *baukną. Related to beacon. The historical chain links Old English bēacnian with Proto-Germanic *baukną. Close English family members include beckoned, beckoning, beck, and beacon. This keeps the modern verb sense tied to the older forms and language sequence behind it. ## Topics - Actions & Processes markdown