wade

1 of 2

verb

waded; wading

intransitive verb

1
: to step in or through a medium (such as water) offering more resistance than air
2
: to move or proceed with difficulty or labor
wade through the crowd
wade through all the evidence
3
: to set to work or attack with determination or vigor
used with in or into
wade into a task

transitive verb

: to pass or cross by wading
wadable adjective
or wadeable

wade

2 of 2

noun

: an act of wading
a wade in the brook

Examples of wade in a Sentence

Verb We waded into the ocean. I jumped off the boat and waded back to shore. Police waded into the crowd. We waded through the crowded bus station. It took several weeks to wade through all the evidence. We waded our way through the crowd.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in January that prosecutors had to wade through thousands of pieces of evidence, including vetting and watching 600 videos, before charges could be brought. Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Robin Wright does not recommend wading through the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Lifetime is wading into the guardianship debate by greenlighting a fictional movie with the working title The Bad Guardian. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2024 Since then, adventurers have flocked to witness the lake formation for themselves and wade out into its waters. Haven't been yet? USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 Over in Spain’s La Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga, annual TV revenues wade into the billions, too. Henry Flynn, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Instead of applying to a traditional bank and wading through a sea of red tape—a frequently impossible task—investors are opting to gain access to low-interest financing. Jon Stojan, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 On what was already a rainy evening, rescuers waded through multiple streams up to their knees. Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2024 Under the law, any migrant seen by the police wading across the Rio Grande could be arrested and charged in state court with a misdemeanor on the first offense. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Feb. 2024
Noun
Chauncey is the least of his problems, though, when what’s been structured around those moments feels like a paint-by-numbers exercise and not a true wade into terrifying waters. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The photographer had the couple wade into the water out to a sandbar. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024 Stephanie wades into the muck as the body count rises and witnesses disappear, having to play dirty in order to nab her suspect(s). Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 Aug. 2023 Andrew: There are all kinds of little nuances to the way the One Power and Aes Sedai work, doled out in bits and pieces over like seven books, that the show wades right into and needs to resolve pretty early by even introducing the concepts of stilling and shielding at this point in the story. Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 29 Sep. 2023 On his Instagram Story, another snap shows Brooks hanging on to her boyfriend’s back as the couple wades in the water together. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023 Stanford study wades into reading wars with high marks for teaching that includes phonics. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2023 Scarpetta, who has been identifying killers across 27 books, wades into the supernatural in Unnatural Death. Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023 When he’s finished in the goat sheds, Dr. Getachew wades into sewage ponds and drainage ditches with a dipper, looking for larval stephensi, which are easier to spot. Stephanie Nolen Tiksa Negeri, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English wadan; akin to Old High German watan to go, wade, Latin vadere to go

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1665, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wade was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near wade

Cite this Entry

“Wade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wade. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wade

verb
ˈwād
waded; wading
1
: to step in or through a substance (as water, mud, or sand) that is thicker than air
2
a
: to move or proceed slowly or with difficulty
wade through a dull book
b
: to attack or work energetically
waded into their chores
3
: to pass or cross by wading
wade a stream

More from Merriam-Webster on wade

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