surf

American  

[surf] / sɜrf /

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.

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verb (used without object)

surfs, present (3rd person singular) surfed, past participle, past surfing present participle

1. to ride a surfboard.

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

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

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

verb (used with object)

surfs, present (3rd person singular) surfed, past participle, past surfing present participle

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.

surf British  

/ sɜːf /

noun

1. waves breaking on the shore or on a reef

2. foam caused by the breaking of waves

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verb

1. (intr) to take part in surfing

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

   2. to move freely between (TV channels or radio stations)

3. 1. informal to be carried on top of something

      that guy's surfing the audience

   2. ( in combination )

      trainsurfing

surf Scientific  

/ sûrf /

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

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Synonym Usage

See wave.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• surfable
  adjective
• surflike
  adjective
• surfer
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have surfed
  perfect
• has surfed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are surfing
  progressive
• surfs
  singular 3rd person
• am surfing
  progressive 1st person singular
• is surfing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been surfing
  perfect progressive
• surfing
  participle
• has been surfing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had surfed
  perfect
• were surfing
  progressive plural
• was surfing
  progressive singular
• surfed
  participle
• had been surfing
  perfect progressive
• surfed
  simple

Future

• will surf
  simple
• will have surfed
  perfect
• will have been surfing
  perfect progressive
• will be surfing
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of surf

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

Explanation

The surf is what you see when you stand on the beach and look at the ocean — waves rising and breaking on the shore. It’s also what you do when you ride those waves. Surf’s up, dude! Surf means "crashing waves," but it's also a verb meaning to ride those waves with a surf board. When you surf, you stand upright on a board and ride over breaking waves into the shore. A more figurative meaning of surf is "search casually," as in "channel surf," or click idly between TV stations. The origin of the word is a mystery, though it's thought to have first been used in reference to the Indian coast.

Example Sentences

The body of missing 5-year-old Amada Mia Brown of San Bernardino was recovered in Laguna Beach on Thursday — two days after she vanished in high surf.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026

Sloane thanked the medical team and the WSL water patrol for their "immediate assistance" in a statement shared by the surf league.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

Neoclouds are trying to surf the wave of AI computing demand and quickly scale up.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

But Mike Gillard, who has won hundreds of surfing competitions and lives a block from the ocean, now drives miles north to surf.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

When we reach the beach, she motions me forward, right to the edge of the surf.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• swell
• wave