a disturbance on the surface of a liquid body, as the sea or a lake, in the form of a moving ridge or swell.
any surging or progressing movement or part resembling a wave of the sea.
a wave of the pulse.
a swell, surge, or rush, as of feeling or of a certain condition.
a wave of disgust sweeping over a person; a wave of cholera throughout the country.
a widespread feeling, opinion, tendency, etc..
a wave of anti-intellectualism; the new wave of installment buying.
a mass movement, as of troops, settlers, or migrating birds.
an outward curve, or one of a series of such curves, in a surface or line; undulation.
an act or instance of waving.
a fluttering sign or signal made with the hand, a flag, etc..
a farewell wave.
natural waviness of the hair, or a special treatment to impart waviness.
to have a wave in one's hair; to get a shampoo and a wave.
a period or spell of unusually hot or cold weather.
Physics. a progressive disturbance propagated from point to point in a medium or space without progress or advance by the points themselves, as in the transmission of sound or light.
Literary.
a body of water.
the sea.
(at sports events, especially baseball games) a momentary standing and sitting back down by spectators in a sequential, lateral way to create, en masse, a wavelike effect visually.
to move freely and gently back and forth or up and down, as by the action of air currents, sea swells, etc..
The flags were waving in the wind.
to curve alternately in opposite directions; have an undulating form.
The road waved along the valley.
to bend or sway up and down or to and fro, as branches or plants in the wind.
to be moved, especially alternately in opposite directions.
The woman's handkerchief waved in encouragement.
to give a signal by fluttering or flapping something.
She waved to me with her hand.
to cause to flutter or have a waving motion in.
A night wind waves the tattered banners.
to cause to bend or sway up and down or to and fro.
The storm waved the heavy branches of the elm.
to give an undulating form to; cause to curve up and down or in and out.
to give a wavy appearance or pattern to, as silk.
to impart a wave to (the hair).
to move, especially alternately in opposite directions.
to wave the hand.
to signal to by waving a flag or the like; direct by a waving movement.
to wave a train to a halt; to wave traffic around an obstacle.
to signify or express by a waving movement.
to wave a last goodbye.
to move or cause to move freely to and fro
the banner waved in the wind
(intr) to move the hand to and fro as a greeting
to signal or signify by or as if by waving something
(tr) to direct to move by or as if by waving something
he waved me on
to form or be formed into curves, undulations, etc
(tr) to give a wavy or watered appearance to (silk, etc)
(tr) to set waves in (the hair)
one of a sequence of ridges or undulations that moves across the surface of a body of a liquid, esp the sea: created by the wind or a moving object and gravity
any undulation on or at the edge of a surface reminiscent of such a wave
a wave across the field of corn
the sea
anything that suggests the movement of a wave, as by a sudden rise
a crime wave
a widespread movement that advances in a body
a wave of settlers swept into the country
the act or an instance of waving
physics an oscillation propagated through a medium or space such that energy is periodically interchanged between two kinds of disturbance. For example, an oscillating electric field generates a magnetic oscillation and vice versa, hence an electromagnetic wave is produced. Similarly a wave on a liquid comprises vertical and horizontal displacements See also antinode longitudinal wave node standing wave transverse wave
physics a graphical representation of a wave obtained by plotting the magnitude of the disturbance against time at a particular point in the medium or space; waveform
a prolonged spell of some weather condition
a heat wave
an undulating curve or series of curves or loose curls in the hair
an undulating pattern or finish on a fabric
short for wave moth
to cause trouble; disturb the status quo
slang to enjoy a period of success and good fortune
A disturbance, oscillation, or vibration, either of a medium and moving through that medium (such as water and sound waves), or of some quantity with different values at different points in space, moving through space (such as electromagnetic waves or a quantum mechanical wave described by the wave function).
See also longitudinal wave transverse wave wave function See Note at refraction
Wave, ripple, breaker, surf refer to a ridge or swell on the surface of water. Wave is the general word: waves in a high wind. A ripple is the smallest kind of wave, such as is caused by a stone thrown into a pool: ripples in a brook. A breaker is a wave breaking, or about to break, upon the shore or upon rocks: the roar of breakers. Surf is the collective name for breakers: Heavy surf makes bathing dangerous.
The motion of a wave and the motion of the medium on which the wave moves are not the same: ocean waves, for example, move toward the beach, but the water itself merely moves up and down. Sound waves are spread by alternating compression and expansion of air.
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English waven (verb), Old English wafian “to wave the hands”; cognate with Middle High German waben; cf. waver 1
First recorded in 1942; see origin at Waves
The word wave has many different meanings, but they all have to do with an undulating motion or shape. A wave that washes up on a beach has the same kind of back-and-forth movement as a crowd of baseball fans doing "the wave" in the stands. Use the verb wave to describe a greeting that includes a hand motion, from the enthusiastic flapping wave of a little kid meeting his dad at the airport to the prim wave of a Queen acknowledging her subjects. In physics, when you talk about a sound wave, there is a similar kind of rise and fall. Two Old English root words of wave are wæfre, "wavering or restless," and wagian, "to move to and fro."
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But after taking a break from swimming amid a wave of mental health issues in 2023, he is still searching for that winning feeling again on the big stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
World trade flows rose for a second month in May, a sign of economic resilience that may be challenged by a fresh wave of U.S. tariff hikes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The S&P 500 slipped 10% during the first wave of U.S.-led strikes against Iran earlier in the year, but that was followed by a significant V-shaped rally, Fundstrat found.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Southern California’s heat wave may have peaked, but broiling conditions will continue through the weekend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
It was like a kind of wave passed over the class when she finished talking.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
“I’m thankful for the huge cultural impact that the Queer New Wave had — I’m so proud to be a part of it,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Wave theory predicted that a bright point should appear in the center of the disc's shadow, where complete darkness would otherwise be expected.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Thousands of Blue Wave fans are expected for their World Cup debut in Houston - with some same-day charter flights from the island.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Other major shareholders include Fidelity Management, whose stake stood at $3.78 billion, and Alpha Wave, at $2.23 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Wave after wave broke over our ancient stone boat, and yet it—somehow—stayed buoyant.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Four years into the war, Ukraine has developed its expertise in dealing with waves of Shahed-type drones, using machine guns, helicopters and electronic warfare to destroy them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The achievement has made huge waves on Chinese social media.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“We’ve seen zillions of waves of COVID, but babies haven’t,” Chin-Hong said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
I must have only taken about 10 steps when the sea titan breached, its spotted skin flashing in the sunlight briefly before plunging beneath the waves.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Dalton crushes me as he leans over and waves out my window.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
One waved a large printed cutout of the three-time NFL defensive player of the year’s face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
When Graham’s hometown tried to name a street after him, he waved it off, saying there was no need to make a fuss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Supporters waved Egyptian flags and Palestinian flags in support of nearby Gaza, as well as a poster of coach Hossam Hossan draping both flags over himself during the tournament.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Its logic reaches the labor board, the merit board, and the trade commission and ratifies the removals the court had already waved through at the consumer-product, surface-transportation, and employment agencies.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026
Grandma waved at me from one of the auction tents.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
On the night before the World Cup final, Argentinian fans took over Times Square, singing and chanting and waving banners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Hamawy wore the waving red-striped U.S. kit, a newly minted politician’s choice if I’ve ever seen one.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Hassan drew praise in Gaza after waving a Palestinian flag on the pitch following Egypt's victory over Australia and dedicating the win to the Palestinian people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Two days later, Madonna reposted AI fan edits of herself atop the Empire State Building’s spire, waving a “Confessions II” banner.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
I could have run down the shore, waving my arms.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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.
