1
: the swell of the sea that breaks upon the shore
2
: the foam, splash, and sound of breaking waves
surfed; surfing; surfs
1
: to ride the surf (as on a surfboard)
2
: to scan a wide range of offerings for something of interest
: to scan the offerings of (such as television or the Internet) for something of interest
surfer
noun
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
Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The estimated 20-30 foot humpback whale was found around 6:45 a.m. in the surf in Long Beach Township, New Jersey, according to a post from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of marine animals.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
The hotel’s location along an under-trafficked, 1,000-foot stretch of sand is still the stuff of envy, with gentle surf to satisfy families and more cautious swimmers.
—Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
High surf and rip currents have recently been impacting beaches on the north, east and west sides of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Many are clamoring for Beyoncé to do a rock record, but zeroing in on the surf subgenre would have bros and Bettys alike stoked.
—Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
The pier has been shuttered since October, when it was damaged by high surf.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
That might explain why Vail’s life story and his relationship with the seminal surf band are being made into a docuseries.
—Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 27 Mar. 2024
The sprawling dining room – with its surf shack-meets-1980s-roadhouse vibe – seems to go on forever, housing as many tables as a German beer hall and three full-service bars.
—The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2024
Marta Balaga, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
The Hawaii native, 31, has been surfing since age five at her home break at Waikiki Beach on O'ahu's South Shore.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Other features This Explorer digital experience allows for the playing of video games, watching movies and surfing the web.
—Detroit Free Press, 1 Feb. 2024
The waters around Lighthouse Field State Beach, in Santa Cruz, California, are beautiful to look at, but surfing here is something else.
—Tracy Smith, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024
Wright might never surf the fender of a moving train, but he’s nailed how to make audiences see the churn inside a stubborn literature professor who buries his emotions under concrete.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
South Padre Island has sand dunes, sea turtles, and even surfing.
—Pam Leblanc, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024
Despite our best efforts to turn surfing into yet another item that can be shared via social media, optimized for negative engagement, and captured by the Internet’s ideology, the ocean still exists.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
The Gees have visited more than 90 countries and gone on adventures like surfing in Fiji and safaris in Tanzania with her kids Dororthy, Manilla and Calihan, whose ages range from 6 to 11.
—USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
In Santa Cruz County, high winds toppled a eucalyptus tree, severing a 10-inch steel aerial sewer main, and heavy surf damaged a municipal wharf in the city of Santa Cruz, collapsing a portion of its deck, Newsom wrote.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The estimated 20-30 foot humpback whale was found around 6:45 a.m. in the surf in Long Beach Township, New Jersey, according to a post from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of marine animals.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
The hotel’s location along an under-trafficked, 1,000-foot stretch of sand is still the stuff of envy, with gentle surf to satisfy families and more cautious swimmers.
—Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
High surf and rip currents have recently been impacting beaches on the north, east and west sides of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Many are clamoring for Beyoncé to do a rock record, but zeroing in on the surf subgenre would have bros and Bettys alike stoked.
—Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
The pier has been shuttered since October, when it was damaged by high surf.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
That might explain why Vail’s life story and his relationship with the seminal surf band are being made into a docuseries.
—Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 27 Mar. 2024
The sprawling dining room – with its surf shack-meets-1980s-roadhouse vibe – seems to go on forever, housing as many tables as a German beer hall and three full-service bars.
—The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2024
Verb
The content studios have surfed the way of ‘Peak TV’ and now are worried about what happens on the other side.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
The Hawaii native, 31, has been surfing since age five at her home break at Waikiki Beach on O'ahu's South Shore.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Other features This Explorer digital experience allows for the playing of video games, watching movies and surfing the web.
—Detroit Free Press, 1 Feb. 2024
The waters around Lighthouse Field State Beach, in Santa Cruz, California, are beautiful to look at, but surfing here is something else.
—Tracy Smith, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024
Wright might never surf the fender of a moving train, but he’s nailed how to make audiences see the churn inside a stubborn literature professor who buries his emotions under concrete.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
South Padre Island has sand dunes, sea turtles, and even surfing.
—Pam Leblanc, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024
Despite our best efforts to turn surfing into yet another item that can be shared via social media, optimized for negative engagement, and captured by the Internet’s ideology, the ocean still exists.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
The Gees have visited more than 90 countries and gone on adventures like surfing in Fiji and safaris in Tanzania with her kids Dororthy, Manilla and Calihan, whose ages range from 6 to 11.
—USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near surf
Cite this Entry
“Surf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surf. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
surf
1 of 2 noun1
: waves that break upon the shore
2
: the foam, splash, and sound of breaking waves
surf
2 of 2 verb1
: to ride the surf (as on a surfboard)
2
: to scan the offerings of (as television or the Internet) for something of interest
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