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  • Waves
    Waves
    noun
    the Women's Reserve of the U.S. Naval Reserve, the distinct force of women enlistees in the U.S. Navy, organized during World War II.
  • WAVES
    WAVES
    acronym
    Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service; the women's reserve of the US navy
Synonyms

Waves

American  
[wayvz] / weɪvz /
Or WAVES

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)
  1. the Women's Reserve of the U.S. Naval Reserve, the distinct force of women enlistees in the U.S. Navy, organized during World War II.


WAVES British  
/ weɪvz /

acronym

  1. Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service; the women's reserve of the US navy

"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

Etymology

Origin of Waves

1942; W(omen) A(ccepted for) V(olunteer) E(mergency) S(ervice)


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:

A key part of the discovery came from the Juno Waves instrument, which was designed and built by physicists at the University of Iowa.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

Waves topped the bulkhead and sent water into homes and streets, according to city officials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Waves from a tropical storm later that year broke off a chunk of rock from the bottom of the arch.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Waves of investments in store brands followed, as retailers tried to make them stronger competitors.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

Waves sloshed around her, splashing up her dark legs, soaking her shorts.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

During World War II, Ms. Grumbach served as an officer in the WAVES, the women’s branch of the Navy Reserve.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2022

During World War II, Ms. Grumbach’s husband was drafted and she joined the Naval Women’s Reserve, commonly known as the WAVES, an acronym for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

From New York Times ● Nov. 5, 2022

However, for Hannah and organisations like WAVES, the battle has been not only about changing the hearts and minds of the country's leaders, but also within the wider community itself.

From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2020

THE WAVES: Renfroe was joined by center fielder Manuel Margot and second baseman Carlos Asuaje in the first wave of talent that came up late last year.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 2, 2017

But he only said, "I remember your college well. I was up there, during the war. They had a WAC station, didn't they? Or was it WAVES?"

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

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