new wave

noun

variants often New Wave

1

: a cinematic movement that is characterized by improvisation, abstraction, and subjective symbolism and that often makes use of experimental photographic techniques

2

: a new movement in a particular field

3

: popular music less raw than punk rock and typically including unconventional melodies, exaggerated beats, and quirky lyrics

4

: dernier cri

especially : fashion that is strikingly outrageous

new-wave

ˈnü-ˈwāv 

ˈnyü-, 

-ˌwāv

adjective

new waver

ˈnü-ˈwā-vər 

ˈnyü-

noun

Examples of new wave in a Sentence

people who listened to punk, New Wave, or disco

Recent Examples on the Web

Each new wave of infrastructure sits on top of the last, which means the reorganization does not have to build itself from scratch. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

It’s scheduled to open soon after the release of Sam Mendes’ quartet of feature films about John, Paul, George and Ringo, which are expected to unleash a new wave of global interest in the band that transformed rock ‘n’ roll. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

The business grew out of Aboud’s experience with his family’s business, which owns the Aroma360 and Hotel Collection scent brands, and is part of a new wave of companies starting out with AI at their core. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

This new wave of dating apps is a way for people to navigate choice overload and fatigue, Ramaprasad said. — Sneha Dhandapani, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for new wave

• agave
• behave
• concave
• conclave
• enclave
• engrave
• enslave
• forgave
• landgrave
• margrave
• shortwave
• aftershave