Definition of "pantomime" []

• Communication by means of gesture and facial expression: Some tourists make themselves understood abroad by pantomime. (noun)
• The telling of a story without words, by means of bodily movements, gestures, and facial expressions. (noun)
• A play, dance, or other theatrical performance characterized by such wordless storytelling. (noun)
• An ancient Roman theatrical performance in which one actor played all the parts by means of gesture and movement, accompanied by a narrative chorus. (noun)
• A player in such a performance. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "On my word, what you call the pantomime of beggars is only the whole huge bustle of the earth ...."
• "Mirabeau himself was indignant with what he called a pantomime; for he said that Ministers had no right to screen their own responsibility behind the inviolate throne."
• "Their pantomime is ruthless and restive, always craving more but instantly jaded."