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Synonyms

whitecap

American  
[hwahyt-kap, wahyt-] / ˈʰwaɪtˌkæp, ˈwaɪt- /

noun

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


whitecap British  
/ ˈwaɪtˌkæp /

noun

  1. a wave with a white broken crest

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

"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 whitecap

First recorded in 1660–70; white + cap 1

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

Much harden The water was running out against him, and every whitecap that struck him broadside sent water into the bottom of the boat.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt