thumbless wave

noun

A hand gesture used to indicate contrition. The hand is held up with the palm facing outward, thumb placed across the palm, and the fingers extended upward. Ex: "After mistakenly cutting someone off in traffic, the driver showed his remorse by giving the thumbless wave."

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounthumbless wave (plural thumbless waves)

plural thumbless waves

  1. A hand gesture used to indicate contrition. The hand is held up with the palm facing outward, thumb placed across the palm, and the fingers extended upward. Ex: "After mistakenly cutting someone off in traffic, the driver showed his remorse by giving the thumbless wave."
Cite this entry
APA

thumbless wave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumbless%20wave

MLA

“thumbless wave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumbless%20wave. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thumbless wave,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumbless%20wave.

Source: thumbless wave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.