whitecap

[hwahyt-kap, wahyt-]

noun

1. a wave with a broken and foaming white crest.

whitecap

/ ˈwaɪtˌkæp /

noun

1. a wave with a white broken crest

2. a member of a vigilante organization that attempts to control a community

Word History and Origins

Origin of whitecap¹

First recorded in 1660–70; white + cap ¹

Example Sentences

“It’s really important that the recreational boater — or even professional boater — recognize that when whitecaps turn up so fast ... it’s time to put on your life jacket and get off the water.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s a little breezy, but besides a few whitecaps, you hardly notice the sailing conditions.

Read more on Seattle Times

But as quickly as the national craziness over aerial phenomena began, the military packed up and went home, leaving the answers encased in Arctic ice and under the whitecaps of Lake Huron.

Read more on New York Times

Looking out the window, Ralph said he had briefly seen through holes in the clouds, which revealed what looked like whitecaps rolling on the stormy ocean.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One national pollster has called these under-polled Trump supporters “submerged voters,” and the term seems apt, given how much can occur underneath the whitecaps of a roiling political seascape.

Read more on Washington Post

Related Words

• crest 
• flood 
• influx 
• movement 
• outbreak 
• rash 
• rush 
• sign 
• stream 
• surge 
• swell 
• tide 
• upsurge