wade

[ weyd ]

/ weɪd /

verb (used without object), wad·ed, wad·ing.

to walk in water, when partially immersed: He wasn't swimming, he was wading.

to play in water: The children were wading in the pool most of the afternoon.

to walk through water, snow, sand, or any other substance that impedes free motion or offers resistance to movement: to wade through the mud.

to make one's way slowly or laboriously (often followed by through): to wade through a dull book.

Obsolete. to go or proceed.

verb (used with object), wad·ed, wad·ing.

to pass through or cross by wading; ford: to wade a stream.

noun

an act or instance of wading: We went for a wade in the shallows.

Verb Phrases

wade in/into,

to begin energetically.
to attack strongly: to wade into a thoughtless child; to wade into a mob of rioters.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR wade

4. labor, toil, plod, plow, work.

Related formsun·wad·ed, adjectiveun·wad·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for waded

But if Clinton waded into the natural gas debate, she entirely avoided the Keystone one.
Hillary Praises Fracking, Stays Silent on Keystone|David Freedlander|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Later that month, Rivers waded into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Joan Rivers: 'Death Is Like Plastic Surgery'|Tim Teeman|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If there are no police around, you might see women who have waded into the water, fully dressed in coats, pants and headscarves.
Operation Wholesome Sea: Iran Coast Guard Forces Women Off Beaches|IranWire|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was “overcome with fear,” at which point he waded through the darkness in order to retrieve his gun from under the bed.
Oscar Pistorius’s Sobbing Fit On The Witness Stand|Kelly Berold|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Before Mitch McConnell waded clumsily into the debate, it looked a winnable argument for the Republicans.
How Republicans Can Win the Equal Pay Debate|Keli Goff|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sunfish scrambled with his feet for secure footing, found it and waded up to the front door.
The Lure of the Dim Trails|by (AKA B. M. Sinclair) B. M. Bower
He waded to his boat and rowed rapidly across stream once more.
Sea-Dogs All!|Tom Bevan
It is known, however, that she waded in through miles of mud and water, and was nothing daunted by the experience.
Pioneering in Cuba|James Meade Adams
We have waded at last through the intricate forest, and halt in an open plain.
The Pearl of the Antilles, or An Artist in Cuba|Walter Goodman
We climbed mountains, threaded defiles, waded through stream and swamp.
Sea-Dogs All!|Tom Bevan

British Dictionary definitions for waded

wade

/ (weɪd) /

verb

to walk with the feet immersed in (water, a stream, etc)the girls waded the river at the ford

(intr often foll by through) to proceed with difficultyto wade through a book

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

noun

the act or an instance of wading

Derived Formswadable or wadeable, adjective

Word Origin for wade

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

Wade

/ (weɪd) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for waded

wade

Old English wadan "to go forward, proceed," in poetic use only, except as oferwaden "wade across," from Proto-Germanic *wadan (cf. Old Norse vaða, Danish vade, Old Frisian wada, Dutch waden, Old High German watan, German waten "to wade"), from PIE root *wadh- "to go," found only in Germanic and Latin (cf. Latin vadere "to go," vadum "shoal, ford," vadare "to wade"). Italian guado, French gué "ford" are Germanic loan-words.

Specifically of walking into water from c.1200. Originally a strong verb (past tense wod, past participle wad); weak since 16c. Figurative sense of "to go into" (action, battle, etc.) is recorded from late 14c. Related: Waded; wading.

wade

verb (used without object), wad·ed, wad·ing.

verb (used with object), wad·ed, wad·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Origin of wade

Examples from the Web for waded

wade

verb

noun

Word Origin for wade

Wade

noun

wade