wade

¹

[weyd]

verb (used without object)

waded, wading 

1. to walk in water, when partially immersed.

   He wasn't swimming, he was wading.

2. to play in water.

   The children were wading in the pool most of the afternoon.

3. to walk through water, snow, sand, or any other substance that impedes free motion or offers resistance to movement.

   to wade through the mud.

4. to make one's way slowly or laboriously (often followed bythrough ).

   to wade through a dull book.

   Synonyms: work, plow, plod, toil, labor

5. Obsolete.,  to go or proceed.

verb (used with object)

waded, wading 

1. to pass through or cross by wading; ford.

   to wade a stream.

noun

1. an act or instance of wading.

   We went for a wade in the shallows.

verb phrase

1. wade in / into

   1. to begin energetically.

   2. to attack strongly.

      to wade into a thoughtless child; to wade into a mob of rioters.

Wade

²

[weyd]

noun

1. Benjamin Franklin, 1800–78, U.S. lawyer and antislavery politician.

2. a male given name.

wade

¹

/ weɪd /

verb

1. to walk with the feet immersed in (water, a stream, etc)

   the girls waded the river at the ford

2. to proceed with difficulty

   to wade through a book

3. (intr; foll by in or into) to attack energetically

noun

1. the act or an instance of wading

Wade

²

/ weɪd /

noun

1. ( Sarah ) Virginia. born 1945, English tennis player; won three Grand Slam singles titles: US Open (1968), Australian Open (1972), and Wimbledon (1977)

Other Word Forms

• unwaded adjective
• unwading adjective
• wadable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wade¹

before 900; Middle English waden to go, wade, Old English wadan to go; cognate with German waten, Old Norse vatha; akin to Old English wæd ford, sea, Latin vadum shoal, ford, vādere to go, rush

Word History and Origins

Origin of wade¹

Old English wadan; related to Old Frisian wada, Old High German watan, Old Norse vatha, Latin vadum _ford

Example Sentences

“Eureka Day,” a comedy by Jonathan Spector that wades into the debate on vaccine mandates, has only become more explosively topical since its 2018 premiere at Aurora Theatre Company, in Berkeley, Calif.

From Los Angeles Times

I was never a fan of Cracker Barrel’s food, Stuckey’s candies or the kitsch you had to wade through if you had the misfortune of spending time at either establishment.

From Salon

Sometimes, it just takes living long enough and wading through all of humankind’s muck to remember that there’s a place for hope among all of the wreckage, even if it’s hard to find.

From Salon

To get to her car, Gaga must wade through a sea of people with unclear intentions.

From Salon

Through the glass doors behind him, I could see his parents wading in the swimming pool.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bathe 
• paddle 
• splash 
• stumble 
• trek