raising hands
Signaling to speak
Raising hands is a gesture with several distinct social functions.
In classrooms and meetings, it signals a desire to speak or ask a question.
In religious contexts, raised hands express worship or surrender to the divine.
The gesture also indicates celebration or victory—crowds raise hands at concerts, fans after a winning goal.
The emoji 🙌 captures this celebratory sense.
She's not raising hands in class anymore since the incident.
- votingFormally registering a choice
- classroomEducational instruction space
- pick mePlea for selection
- volunteerUnpaid willing participant
- Sunday schoolReligious education for children
surrender · worship · waving · cheering · high fives · participation · gesture · arms · reaching · stretching · praise · call and response · questioning · eager · salute · bidding · auction · congregation
- Surrenderscapitulation, unconditional surrender, formal surrender, surrender ceremony, white flag
- defensive gesturesflinching, cowering, cringing, ducking, recoiling
- surrendersurrender, surrenders, surrendering, I surrender, capitulate
- Megachurchworship service, lead pastor, worship team, praise band, worship leader
- Pentecostalismspeaking in tongues, glossolalia, tongues, Holy Spirit, holy spirit
- school rulesschool rules, dress code, code of conduct, bullying, cheating
raising handsshouting out
Vocalizing at high volume
blurting out · calling out · interrupting · speaking out of turn · butting in
raising handsstaying quiet
Remaining without sound
avoiding eye contact · disengaging · tuning out · shrinking back · keeping quiet
raising, hands, raise, raised, raises, raiser, raisers, hand, handed