wave

1 of 3

verb

waved; waving

intransitive verb

1
: to motion with the hands or with something held in them in signal or salute
2
: to float, play, or shake in an air current : move loosely to and fro : flutter
flags waving in the breeze
3
of water : to move in waves : heave
4
: to become moved or brandished to and fro
signs waved in the crowd
5
: to move before the wind with a wavelike motion
field of waving grain
6
: to follow a curving line or take a wavy form : undulate

transitive verb

1
: to swing (something) back and forth or up and down
2
: to impart a curving or undulating shape to
waved her hair
3
a
: to motion to (someone) to go in an indicated direction or to stop : signal
waved down a passing car
b
: to gesture with (the hand or an object) in greeting or farewell or in homage
c
: to dismiss or put out of mind : disregard
usually used with aside or off
d
: to convey by waving
waved farewell
4
: brandish, flourish
waved a pistol menacingly

wave

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural waves
1
a
: a moving ridge or swell on the surface of a liquid (as of the sea)
b
chiefly literary : water, sea
… this our island in the waveCharles Dickens
The buccaneer on the wave might relinquish his calling and become … a man of probity and piety on land …Nathaniel Hawthorne
The sea was open to them, and they achieved their victories on the briny wave.The Book of Commerce by Sea and Land
2
a
: a shape or outline having successive curves
b
: a waviness of the hair
c
: an undulating line or streak or a pattern formed by such lines
3
: something that swells and dies away: such as
a
: a surge of sensation or emotion
a wave of anger swept over her
b
: a movement sweeping large numbers in a common direction
waves of protest
c
: a peak or climax of activity or occurrence
a wave of spending
a second wave of infection
a crime wave
4
: a sweep of hand or arm or of some object held in the hand used as a signal or greeting
5
: a rolling or undulatory movement or one of a series of such movements passing along a surface or through the air
6
: a movement like that of an ocean wave: such as
a
: a surging movement of a group
a big new wave of women politicians
b
: one of a succession of influxes of people migrating into a region
c(1)
: a moving group of animals of one kind
(2)
: a sudden rapid increase in a population
d
: a line of attacking or advancing troops or airplanes
e
: a display of people in a large crowd (as at a sports event) successively rising, lifting their arms overhead, and quickly sitting so as to form a swell moving through the crowd
7
a
: a disturbance or variation that transfers energy progressively from point to point in a medium and that may take the form of an elastic deformation or of a variation of pressure, electric or magnetic intensity, electric potential, or temperature
b
: one complete cycle of such a disturbance
8
: a marked change in temperature : a period of hot or cold weather
9
: an undulating or jagged line constituting a graphic representation of an action
waveless adjective
wavelessly adverb
wavelike adjective

Wave

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a member of the women's component of the U.S. Navy formed during World War II and discontinued in the 1970s
Choose the Right Synonym for wave

swing, wave, flourish, brandish, thrash mean to wield or cause to move to and fro or up and down.

swing implies regular or uniform movement.

swing the rope back and forth

wave usually implies smooth or continuous motion.

waving the flag

flourish suggests vigorous, ostentatious, graceful movement.

flourished the winning lottery ticket

brandish implies threatening or menacing motion.

brandishing a knife

thrash suggests vigorous, abrupt, violent movement.

an infant thrashing his arms about

Examples of wave in a Sentence

Verb We waved to our friends through the window. She was waving in the direction of the bridge. Flags were waving in the breeze. The magician waved his magic wand. The leader of the parade waved a flag. It was so hot that we were all waving our hands in front of our faces to cool off. Noun (1) The waves crashed onto the rocks. She has a wave in her hair. Waves of warm air washed over us. We got a wave from the Queen. The rabbit disappeared with a wave of the magician's wand.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
As fans waved Brazilian flags and donned soccer jerseys, Seyboth Wild shocked Fritz with a 6-4, 6-3 win, sending three of the top four Americans bowing out of the Open before the sun set on the first Saturday of the tournament. David Wilson, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024 Actor Giancarlo Esposito will give command at 3:38, and Texas Longhorns football coach Steve Sarkisian will wave the green flag at 3:49. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2024 No one had his back, and ultimately a barista waved her in. Boris Kachka, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 The video showed someone who appeared to be waving an Italian flag, not clubgoers waving Serbian flags. BUSINESS An article on Monday about the carbon footprint from artificial intelligence’s booming growth misidentified the location of Kuehne + Nagel’s headquarters. New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 King’s manager waved them off: Unlike most of the others, B.B. was booked. John Belushi, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 Another caller told a CHP dispatcher that multiple people were out of their vehicles and in freeway lanes trying to wave down other motorists, according to the log. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 Suddenly, a woman runs in waving an American flag, a backpack full of explosives strapped to her chest. Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 So don’t wave away Britt’s remarks as a mere example of bad acting. Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
The next day, at 4 P.M., another wave of water came, even higher than the first, and destroyed many of the structures that still stood. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 The deal fell apart amid a wave of criticism over the project’s role in the criminal allegations against Riley and Díaz de la Portilla. Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024 California is about to be hit by an aging population wave, and Steve Lopez is riding it. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 The decision threw women undergoing fertility treatments in Alabama into uncertainty and led to a wave of concern around the country about how laws granting rights to fetuses in other states could be interpreted. Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 23 Mar. 2024 News that Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly had resigned due to health reasons prompted a wave of tributes and condolences. Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 23 Mar. 2024 Vaccination rates in the U.S. will likely be enough to prevent a repeat of the deadly waves of infections that claimed hundreds of lives and hospitalized thousands of children every year before the vaccine. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 Physicians are warning against a growing wave of misinformation spread by right-wing pundits and social media influencers who claim hormonal birth control is causing negative health effects like infertility, weight gain, and mental illness. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 The extraordinary synergy among these innovations was what powered the second technological wave. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wave.' 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 wafian to wave with the hands; akin to Old English wæfan to clothe and perhaps to Old English wefan to weave

Noun (2)

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wave was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near wave

Cite this Entry

“Wave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wave. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wave

1 of 3 verb
waved; waving
1
: to float or shake in an air current : flutter
flags waving in the breeze
2
: to signal or salute with the hand or with something held in it
3
: brandish
waved a pistol and made threats
4
: to move before the wind with a wavelike motion
a field of waving grain
5
: to follow or cause to follow a curving line or take a wavy form
waved her hair

wave

2 of 3 noun
1
: a moving ridge on the surface of water
2
: a wavelike formation or shape
a wave in the hair
3
: the action or process of making wavy or curly
4
: a waving motion
a wave of the hand
5
: a steady flowing movement
a wave of color swept the speaker's face
6
: a sudden or rapid increase
a wave of buying
7
: a disturbance similar to a wave in water that transfers energy progressively from point to point
a light wave
8
: a period of hot or cold weather
wavelike adjective

Wave

3 of 3 noun
: a woman serving in the navy

Medical Definition

wave

noun
1
a
: a disturbance or variation that transfers energy progressively from point to point in a medium and that may take the form of an elastic deformation or of a variation of pressure, electrical or magnetic intensity, electrical potential, or temperature
b
: one complete cycle of such a disturbance
2
: an undulating or jagged line constituting a graphic representation of an action
an electroencephalographic wave

More from Merriam-Webster on wave

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