wade

1 of 2

verb

ˈwād 

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

ˈwā-də-bəl 

wade

2 of 2

noun

: an act of wading

a wade in the brook

Synonyms of wade

Verb

• tackle
• have at
• dive (into)
• approach
• undertake
• fall (to)
• address
• attack

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

The board wades through the appeals in weekslong chunks by township, always under pressure from the next assessment cycle around the corner. — Alex Nitkin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

While many viewers praise the former child star as the beating heart of the series, her newfound success comes with heightened tabloid scrutiny, thecoverage wading into everything from her looks to her love life. — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Maybe next week, the boys could wade into the river near Mancelona and collect bushels of watercress, which carpeted the surface there. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Just mountains of garbage to wade through only to never find anything decent to watch. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for wade

• aid
• aide
• bade
• blade
• braid
• clade
• dade
• fade
• flayed
• fraid
• frayed
• gade

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