MEANING
To signal or attract someone to come nearer.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- beckon with a hand
- beckon from a doorway
On the page
She beckoned from the narrow doorway.
Word forms
- Base
- beckon
- Past tense
- beckoned
- Past participle
- beckoned
- Present participle
- beckoning
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- beckon
- Present continuous
- am/is/are beckoning
- Present perfect
- have/has beckoned
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been beckoning
- Past
- beckoned
- Past continuous
- was/were beckoning
- Past perfect
- had beckoned
- Past perfect continuous
- had been beckoning
- Future
- will beckon
- Future continuous
- will be beckoning
- Future perfect
- will have beckoned
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been beckoning
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: beckon; beckons; beckoned; beckoned; beckoning Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: beckons.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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