Definition of "pantomime" in English

noun

1. (now rare) A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime.

2. (Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome) The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work.

3. (UK) A traditional theatrical entertainment, originally based on the commedia dell'arte, but later aimed mostly at children and involving physical comedy, topical jokes, call and response, and fairy-tale plots.

4. The act of gesturing without speaking; a dumb-show, a mime.

verb

1. (transitive) To make (a gesture) without speaking.

   • I pantomimed steering a car; he understood, and tossed the keys to me.

2. (transitive) To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.