surf

[ surf ]
See synonyms for surf on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the swell of the sea that breaks upon a shore or upon shoals.

  2. the mass or line of foamy water caused by the breaking of the sea upon a shore, especially a shallow or sloping shore.

verb (used without object)
  1. to ride a surfboard.

  2. to float on the crest of a wave toward shore.

  1. to swim, play, or bathe in the surf.

  2. to search haphazardly, as for information on a computer network or an interesting program on television.

verb (used with object)
  1. to ride a surfboard on: We surfed every big wave in sight.

  2. to search through (a computer network or TV channels) for information or entertainment.

Origin of surf

1
First recorded in 1600–10; earlier suff; of uncertain origin

synonym study For surf

1. See wave.

Other words from surf

  • surf·a·ble, adjective
  • surfer, noun
  • surflike, adjective

Words that may be confused with surf

Words Nearby surf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use surf in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for surf

surf

/ (sɜːf) /


noun
  1. waves breaking on the shore or on a reef

  2. foam caused by the breaking of waves

verb
  1. (intr) to take part in surfing

    • computing (on the internet) to move freely from website to website (esp in the phrase surf the net)

    • to move freely between (TV channels or radio stations)

    • informal to be carried on top of something: that guy's surfing the audience

    • (in combination): trainsurfing

Origin of surf

1
C17: probably variant of sough 1

Derived forms of surf

  • surfable, adjective
  • surflike, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for surf

surf

[ sûrf ]


  1. The waves of the sea as they break upon a shore or a reef.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.