surf
Americannoun
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the swell of the sea that breaks upon a shore or upon shoals.
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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)
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surfs,
present (3rd person singular)
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surfed,
past participle, past
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surfing
present participle
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to ride a surfboard.
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to float on the crest of a wave toward shore.
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to swim, play, or bathe in the surf.
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to search haphazardly, as for information on a computer network or an interesting program on television.
verb (used with object)
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surfs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
surfed,
past participle, past
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surfing
present participle
-
to ride a surfboard on.
We surfed every big wave in sight.
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to search through (a computer network or TV channels) for information or entertainment.
noun
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waves breaking on the shore or on a reef
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foam caused by the breaking of waves
verb
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(intr) to take part in surfing
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computing (on the internet) to move freely from website to website (esp in the phrase surf the net )
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to move freely between (TV channels or radio stations)
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-
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informal to be carried on top of something
that guy's surfing the audience
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( in combination )
trainsurfing
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Synonym Usage
See wave.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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surfsimple
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surfssimple
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have surfedperfect
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has surfedperfect
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am surfingprogressive
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are surfingprogressive
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is surfingprogressive
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have been surfingperfect progressive
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has been surfingperfect progressive
Past
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surfedsimple
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had surfedperfect
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was surfingprogressive
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were surfingprogressive
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had been surfingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing surf
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:
In a yurt on a hill overlooking the surf on the North Shore, young scientists create parts on 3-D printers for wastewater-treatment machines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
He said on X: "Damaging winds, heavy rain, flash flooding and dangerous surf are possible across the state through the weekend."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Stay away from beaches and coastal areas where rough surf and rip currents could sweep you away," it added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Not long ago, I watched a video of an angler tossing an urchin into the Atlantic surf and coming up with a nice-sized fluke.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
This was the first time I’d really watched people surf.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
And it makes a seemingly banal title wryly funny: Ms. Andrade, a top competitive surfer, stands a little over 5 feet tall; the waves where she surfs at Nazaré, Portugal, can top 80 feet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
He mentions being tired often for a 41-year-old who makes sure he goes on a bike ride, plays tennis, surfs, swims or hikes every day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2024
Efrus, a 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier, surfs the waves in the Pacific waters off Peru.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
He grew up surfing at Makaha and now surfs all over the world, and has trained at the Slater wave pool and a Texas one.
From Washington Times ● May 29, 2023
She surfs waves as big as houses and jumps off anything.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Koh said he surfed the web when the others slept.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
It is also in this house where Bryn famously "surfed the world wide web" to give Gavin directions from Barry to Essex in the first series.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026
The goal survived a VAR check for a potential foul on Martinez and Arsenal surfed the wave of momentum to double their lead four minutes later.
From Barron's ● Dec. 30, 2025
They surfed together, let each other’s cats in and celebrated holidays on the small community lawn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
They surfed the radio dial trying to lock on to the artificial moon’s beeping, its sound like an otherworldly cricket.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
They met at a café in Waikiki where Leong, still wet from surfing, persuaded Akemoto to stay in Hawaii.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The magazine also featured photographs of Macron engaging in water sports such as foil surfing, during a summer marked by successive heatwaves and deadly fires in France.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Just like surfing, if he put his mind to it, he’d get good at volleyball, but for now, football is the focus for him and his family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
While the Olympics have recently added skateboarding, surfing and breakdancing, the Commonwealths - with India having a big say - look set to reintroduce cricket, shooting, archery and hockey.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Their sides were so steep the lifeboat started sliding down them, nearly surfing.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions 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.
