wade

¹ American  

[weyd] / weɪd /

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.

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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 American  

[weyd] / weɪd /

noun

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

2. a male given name.

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wade ¹ British  

/ 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

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noun

1. the act or an instance of wading

Wade ² British  

/ 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)

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Other Word Forms

• unwaded adjective
• unwading adjective
• wadable adjective

Etymology

Origin of wade

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

Explanation

To wade is to walk through water. If you've been fishing without a boat, you'll have to wade to reach your precious prize (if it gets away, you can brag about how big it was). When you wade, it doesn't have to literally be through a liquid; wading includes any action that involves a laborious slog through something that offers resistance. For example, you might attempt to wade through a huge book like Moby Dick. And if you want to get into a fight? Wade right on into the brawling crowd. Or if it's verbal fisticuffs you're after, wade right on in to the debate.

Example Sentences

The investment is part of a much broader movement on Wall Street to wade into risky bets that were previously seen as off limits, from prediction markets to crypto.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

County officials want the state attorney general to wade into the complex investigation to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

What remains unanswered is who will help us now, as we wade through the dilemmas of the 21st.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

"The majority of migrants wade out to the boats that take them, so they're soaking wet up to their chest before they even set off," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Eliza Nokey said, panic in her voice, “You goin’ wade that?”

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry

Related Words

• bathe
• paddle
• splash
• stumble
• trek