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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
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
See all Example Sentences for emote 
Dictionary Entries Near emote
Cite this Entry
“Emote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emote. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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