Phrase guide

hand waving

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Discussion or argumentation involving approximation, vagueness, educated guessing, or the attempt to explain or excuse vagaries.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • The sales pitch sounded good, but there was a lot of hand waving about the price.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَلْوِيح بِالْيَد (talwīḥ bi-l-yad) — argumentation involving approximation
  • Finnish: käsienheiluttelu — argumentation involving approximation
  • Hebrew: נפנופי־ידיים — argumentation involving approximation
  • Polish: niejasna argumentacja — argumentation involving approximation