empty gesture

collocation in English

meaningsofemptyandgesture

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withgesture.
empty
adjective
uk
/ˈemp.ti/us
/ˈemp.ti/
not containing any things ...
See more atempty
gesture
noun[C]
uk
/ˈdʒes.tʃər/us
/ˈdʒes.tʃɚ/
a movement of the hands, arms, or head, etc. to express an idea ...
See more atgesture

(Definition ofemptyandgesturefrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofempty gesture

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
If that is so, it will prove anemptygesture, and we are getting a little tired of foreign policy being conducted by gestures.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
That means that what is being proposed here is to some extent anemptygesture.
FromEuroparl Parallel Corpus - English
Unless there is much firmer talking, it would seem to be anemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
We believe that it is necessary, and it is far from being anemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
That is not anemptygesture: it is a very clear statement of policy, from which we shall not deviate before or after the election.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Policy without financial resources is just anemptygesture.
FromEuroparl Parallel Corpus - English
There should be something more than anemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
That is not the sort of money that even a rich industry cares to throw away in anemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
This appears to me to be legislation byemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Protection of the environment is too important a subject to be discredited by being made to appear as anemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
That conference will be anemptygestureunless it contains some positive proposals for dealing with unequal opportunities.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Doubling them is very little more than anemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
If it does not, this so-called offer of freedom is anemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Are 5,000 more nurses in the health service anemptygesture?
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It is certainly not anemptygesture, nor even merely a sign of good will although, of course, there is plenty of that.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
I hope that that was not just anemptygestureand that he intends to take action.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
There is no use having internment on only one side of the border: that is an absolutelyemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Otherwise, he has made anemptygestureand left others to pick up the bill.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Similarly, the award on wheat and barley is not anemptygesturebut real encouragement to expand production.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Declaratory legislation is not of much value; it is just anemptygesture.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Want to learn more?
Go to the definition ofempty
Go to the definition ofgesture
See other collocations withgesture