dumb shownoun [ C or U ]
uk/ˈdʌm ˌʃəʊ/us/ˈdʌm ˌʃoʊ/UKthe use of hand movements and not speech in order to communicate what you mean, or an example of this
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Cinema & theatre: acting, rehearsing & performing
- act
- act sth out
- amateur theater
- enact
- entrance 1
- go on the stage idiom
- ham
- ham it up
- improvise
- live action
- mime
- offstage
- portray
- prompt
- repertory
- rest
- stage
- stage whisper
- stretch
- variety
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Examples from literature
- After much dumb show, arrangements were made for the night.
- I never saw such admirable dumb show: it was better than any pantomime.
- I returned the greetings in dumb show, and hurried on.
- The dumb show of staring into each other's faces, squeezing fingers, and sighing, originated, we have reason to believe, with the ancient Romans.
- This was all in dumb show.