emote

verb

i-ˈmōt 

emoted; emoting

intransitive verb

: to give expression to emotion especially in acting

emoter

i-ˈmō-tər 

noun

Did you know?

Emote is an example of what linguists call a back-formation—that is, a word formed by trimming down an existing word. In this case, the parent word is emotion, which came to English by way of Middle French from the Latin verb emovēre, meaning "to remove or displace" (making the "removal" of the suffix -ion to form emote quite fitting). As is sometimes the case with back-formations, emote has since its coinage in the early 20th century tended toward use that is less than entirely serious. It frequently appears in humorous or deprecating descriptions of the work of actors, and is similarly used to describe theatrical behavior by nonactors.

Examples of emote in a Sentence

He stood on the stage, emoting and gesturing wildly.

Recent Examples on the Web

One need only look at Favreau’s picture, with its dissonant spectacle of lifelike animals forced to emote and talk like humans, to understand the expressive power of animation. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 July 2024

Of course, people will emote internally and potentially externally. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

Thanks to their advanced animatronics (and human controllers), the droids are able to emote and engage with visitors. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Oct. 2024

Thomas expertly emotes it all, often needing only to use her eyes. —Ebonie Walker, refinery29.com, 26 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from emotion

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

emote

verb

i-ˈmōt 

emoted; emoting

: to express emotion in or as if in a play

emoter

-ˈmōt-ər 

noun