beckon

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈbɛkən/ UK /ˈbɛkən/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like bacon /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

verb

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... summon signal gesture wave motion call invite

Opposites

dismiss repelwave off

Word family

Derived forms beckonedbeckoning

Related forms beck beacon

Etymology

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 ->

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Actions & Processes

# 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

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beckon

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