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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
Morgan A. Grain, Essence, 28 Feb. 2025
In a YouTube video of this final L.A. show, Zapata often closes her eyes and vividly emotes the pain, anger and joy in her music.
—Stephanie Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2025
This was easier said than done, though: My facial expressions tend to be muted, so learning how to adequately emote while signing has been my greatest challenge.
—Hannah Seo, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
This audacious approach meant that the Williams character had to look like an ape but otherwise emote and behave like a human in a believable way alongside human actors.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for emote
Cite this Entry
“Emote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emote. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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