whitecap
Americannoun
noun
-
a wave with a white broken crest
-
a member of a vigilante organization that attempts to control a community
Etymology
Origin of whitecap
Vocabulary lists containing whitecap
Earth Science - Middle School
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!
Earth Science - High School
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!
Oceanography - Middle School
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!
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.
I backed up and stumbled as we braced ourselves to meet the wall of water that was now a whitecap above our heads.
From The Guardian • Dec. 14, 2016
Wave upon wave of oceanic orchestral sounds — swirling strings, arpeggiated harps, droning brass and winds, the whitecap shimmer of multiple harps, bells, marimbas, vibraphones and keyboards — momentously evoked the Pacific.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2015
With a frothy whitecap rushing down its face, the wave violently jarred the vessel and forced Ryan off balance.
From Time Magazine Archive
Some of the islands are so small that they seem no bigger than a whitecap from a few miles' distance.
From Time Magazine Archive
A whitecap tossed us beyond a cluster of rafts, most of them empty.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
