surf

noun

\ˈsərf

Definition of surf

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the swell of the sea that breaks upon the shore

2 : the foam, splash, and sound of breaking waves

surf

verb

surfed; surfing; surfs

Definition of surf (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to ride the surf (as on a surfboard)

2 : to scan a wide range of offerings for something of interest

transitive verb

: to scan the offerings of (such as television or the Internet) for something of interest

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Synonyms for surf

Synonyms: Noun

foam, froth, head, lather, spume, suds

Examples of surf in a Sentence

Noun

We could hear the roar of the surf. beachgoers romping in the swirling surf

Verb

He learned to surf when he was living in California.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Visitors of all ages love the beach town for its sun, surf, sand, boardwalk, entertainment and food. — Gal Tziperman Lotan, baltimoresun.com, "141 people rescued along Ocean City beaches Monday," 10 July 2018 High surf from Hurricane Fabio about 850 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, was expected to create strong rip currents and hazardous swimming conditions. — Ramona Sentinel, "National Weather Service issues excessive heat warning for Friday," 5 July 2018 Boat-makers have embraced new technology, from docking a boat with a joystick to creating a wake-surf wave from a wristwatch. — Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mercury Marine buys Menomonee Falls company in $910 million deal," 29 June 2018 China's Smartphone Reliance Most Chinese internet users surf via smartphone. — Julie Steinberg, WSJ, "This Chinese Big Data Firm Seeks a Big New York IPO," 20 June 2018 Sand and surf: Beach day will be held June 16, 23 and 30 at West Beach. — Post-Tribune, "Five things to do in Northwest Indiana June 15-17," 8 June 2018 And as anyone who has ever been on an island can tell you, the sandy beaches, ocean waves, surf culture, hula girls and exotic cocktails are difficult to leave behind. — Kevin Hopper, idahostatesman, "Recipes survive gone-but-not-forgotten culture of 1950s," 2 June 2018 Salmon with lardons-studded lentils gets a surf-and-turf accent from a chicken liver sauce that’s a sauce chasseur with chicken and duck offal. — Phil Vettel, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Glam-rich Blvd is ready for its close-up," 24 May 2018 The film’s impact on surf culture and tourism was huge, thanks in no small part to Brown’s cinematography, as well as the subjects’ ability to make riding those impossibly large waves seem effortless. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "The 45 Best Travel Films of All Time," 11 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Orleans native Wendy Kula, 43, has been surfing in the area for nearly 20 years. — Sophia Eppolito And Marek Mazurek, BostonGlobe.com, "On the Cape, tourists and locals take sharks in stride," 9 July 2018 In June 2017, my father sustained a spinal-cord injury while surfing in Nicaragua, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. — Nash Jenkins, Time, "Remembering Conservative Thinker Charles Krauthammer, 68," 28 June 2018 Apparently most respondents would rather surf the web while using rabbit ears to watch local TV. — Ron Hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Air conditioning or a charged cellphone: Survey asks which you'd rather have after a hurricane," 14 June 2018 These constraints leave engineers surfing in nature’s wake, marvelling at her creativity and efficiency. — Adam Stanton, Scientific American, "Why Do Robots Look Like Animals and Humans?," 5 June 2018 Knox was hospitalized, recovered, and still surfs in Imperial Beach. — Gustavo Solis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How do you run a surf shop when sewage spills constantly close the beach?," 27 May 2018 The crew has nothing in common except a passion for sports, from surfing to soapbox derby. — Lee Jenkins, SI.com, "Fantastic Voyage: Kobe Bryant Is Now an Entertainment Mogul with a Friendlier Mission," 12 July 2018 And tourists who want to give surfing a try in the small fishing village of Ericeira can rent a beginner’s board and wet suit for less than $30 dollars. — Adam Shell, USA TODAY, "Pull out your passport: A rising dollar eases the cost of summer travel overseas," 23 May 2018 For example, the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Games won approval for their proposal to add baseball, softball, karate, skateboard, sports climbing and surfing to the list of Olympic sports next year. — Madeline Mitchell, Cincinnati.com, "Ultimate Frisbee is likely to fly into the 2024 or 2028 Olympic Games. You can see the world's top players here in Greater Cincinnati," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'surf.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.