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• water wave
  water wave

  noun

  a wave on the surface of a body of water.
• water-wave
  water-wave

  verb (used with object)

  to set (hair) in a water wave.

water wave

¹ American  

noun

1. a wave on the surface of a body of water.

2. a wave combed or pressed into wet hair and then dried.

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water-wave ² American  

[waw-ter-weyv, wot-er-] / ˈwɔ tərˌweɪv, ˈwɒt ər- /

verb (used with object)

water-waved, water-waving

1. to set (hair) in a water wave.

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Etymology

Origin of water wave¹

First recorded in 1550–60

Origin of water-wave²

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

water wave water-wave water-waved

In some cases, a water wave can move through a barrier just like a quantum particle, something you can demonstrate in your bathtub.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 12, 2023

He’s not exactly sure what combination of water, wave force or sand caused the impact that hurt him.

From Washington Times ● May 12, 2017

Whether it is the up-and-down motion of a water wave or the changing electric and magnetic fields in a wave of light, the pattern of disturbance repeats in a cyclical way.

From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016

That uncertainty is directly connected to the wave-like character of matter and light: if you have a water wave traveling across the ocean, what is the precise position of the wave?

From Scientific American ● Jun. 7, 2011

As they passed over it, Minli saw the smooth water wave with gentle ripples and heard what sounded like faint drumming.

From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin

The water-wave was felt on the coast of New Zealand sixteen hours after it had set a United States gunboat, on the sand-hills of Arica.

From The Andes and the Amazon Across the Continent of South America by Orton, James

Do you suppose a water-wave is like a harp-string?

From The Storm-Cloud of the Nineteenth Century Two Lectures delivered at the London Institution February 4th and 11th, 1884 by Ruskin, John

When a sound-wave strikes the ear, we hear; when a light-wave, moving like a water-wave, reaches the eye, we see.

From Twilight and Dawn Simple Talks on the Six Days of Creation by Pridham, Caroline

Up the swelling drifts water-waved by wind like a rolling sea, down cliffs crumbling over with snowy cornices, across the icy marshes swept glare by the gales, the braves pressed relentlessly on.

From Heralds of Empire Being the Story of One Ramsay Stanhope, Lieutenant to Pierre Radisson in the Northern Fur Trade by Laut, Agnes C. (Agnes Christina)

He pressed forward, flicking on his flash and making sure by the water-waved beam it threw.

From Seed of the Arctic Ice by Bates, Harry