whitecap
Americannoun
-
whitecaps
plural
noun
-
a wave with a white broken crest
-
a member of a vigilante organization that attempts to control a community
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of whitecap
Vocabulary lists containing whitecap
Earth Science - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Earth Science - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Oceanography - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I backed up and stumbled as we braced ourselves to meet the wall of water that was now a whitecap above our heads.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 14, 2016
Wave upon wave of oceanic orchestral sounds — swirling strings, arpeggiated harps, droning brass and winds, the whitecap shimmer of multiple harps, bells, marimbas, vibraphones and keyboards — momentously evoked the Pacific.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2015
Some of the islands are so small that they seem no bigger than a whitecap from a few miles' distance.
From Time Magazine Archive
Here & there in the long groundswell of words a whitecap showed.
From Time Magazine Archive
Much harden The water was running out against him, and every whitecap that struck him broadside sent water into the bottom of the boat.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
One evening, ominous, low-lying tube-shaped clouds known as arcus formed, and whitecaps appeared in the waves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
It’s a little breezy, but besides a few whitecaps, you hardly notice the sailing conditions.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2023
Looking out the window, Ralph said he had briefly seen through holes in the clouds, which revealed what looked like whitecaps rolling on the stormy ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2023
On Saturday the wind in our area seemed even stronger than Friday, as gusts reached more than 50 mph, trees toppled, and the dark waters of the Potomac River were whipped into waves and whitecaps.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2022
His eyes were flinty too, black and sharp, but the years and the salt winds had turned his hair the grey of a winter sea, flecked with whitecaps.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
