wave

verb \ ˈwāv \

Updated on: 13 Oct 2017

Definition of wave

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

See wave defined for English-language learners

See wave defined for kids

Examples of wave in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of wave from the Web

But when Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., arrived, there were no waving signs.

— david weigel, chicagotribune.com, "In Midwest Trump states, Sanders tries to push Democrats to the left on health care," 26 Aug. 2017
Some supporters carried Confederate flags while at least one man waved a white supremacist flag.

— by jessica de leon and mark young, miamiherald, "The fate of a Confederate monument in Florida draws protests on both sides," 22 Aug. 2017
Things got stranger and more wonderful still as Lewis then rolled on his back and started kicking his legs and waving his arms in the air while doing his crazy Jerry Lewis barking-seal guffaw.

— nancy jo sales, HWD, "Hey, Lady! My Private Audience with Jerry Lewis," 21 Aug. 2017
Countering them were about a dozen men waving Confederate flags, and others circled the square flying Rebel flags on motorcycles and from car windows.

— lee roop, AL.com, "Huntsville police separate pro- and anti-Confederate memorial protesters," 19 Aug. 2017
After several minutes, Powe pulled out a gun and waved it in the air.

— john diedrich, jsonline.com, "'No face, no case': How one man tried to permanently silence the witnesses to his crimes," 18 Aug. 2017
Outside the lab, Kate waved to something high in the air.

— charles manning, Cosmopolitan, "Kate Middleton Wore a Yellow Dress in Germany and Made the World Stand Still," 20 July 2017
Migrants must wave goodbye to familiar people, familiar customs and grandma’s cooking.

— The Economist, "If borders were openA world of free movement would be $78 trillion richer," 13 July 2017
An anti-government protester waves a Venezuelan flag in the middle of the street during a call by the opposition to block roads for 10 hours in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 10, 2017.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "Venezuelan weekend vote seen as last chance to stop power grab," 13 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of wave

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

wave Synonyms

Synonyms

beckon, flag, gesture, signal, motion

Related Words

nod; gesticulate, mime, pantomime, sign; signalize; acquaint, advise, inform, relate, tell; flourish, shrug

Synonym Discussion of 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

wave

noun

Definition of wave

1 a :a moving ridge or swell on the surface of a liquid (as of the sea)

b :open water

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

a wave of buying

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

play \ˈwāv-ləs\ adjective

—

wavelessly

adverb

—

wavelike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

See wave defined for English-language learners

Examples of wave in a Sentence

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 of wave from the Web

The next wave of elite college football prospects have been identified by national recruiting websites, and six Alabama players are included in the latest list.

— josh bean, AL.com, "6 Alabama prep stars picked among nation's top 2020 prospects," 29 Aug. 2017
That chunk of the California Coast seemed preternatural to me — towering redwood trees and cypress twisted by onshore winds, dramatic slopes of mountains dropping into white-capped waves that licked up into fog cover.

— maria finn, Longreads, "Can Love Sparked at Burning Man Last in Everyday Life?," 28 Aug. 2017
One conclusion: masses of cold air that regularly move over the gulf in the winter can stir up waves and pressure differences that can help push the sediment seawards at rates of up to a meter per year.

— zahra ahmad, Science | AAAS, "The Germans torpedoed a ship during World War II. The wreck is now revealing secrets about submarine mudslides," 21 Aug. 2017
Bannon’s exit, while not unexpected, still sent shock waves across the political and media worlds.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "With Bannon Back at Breitbart, a Right-Wing Army Prepares for War," 18 Aug. 2017
Chattering enthusiastically and without filter, Monterroso and Morales fill the air waves with the exuberance expected of a soccer broadcast.

— maria torres, kansascity, "Anotacioooon! Meet the Spanish-language broadcasters who call Chiefs games on radio," 17 Aug. 2017
The 2015 vintage did not taste like my true love—and that’s because 2015 was an unwaveringly warm year in Beaujolais, with heat waves and moderate evenings, creating riper, bigger wines.

— marissa a. ross, Bon Appetit, "Should You Care About a Wine’s Vintage?," 10 Aug. 2017
Now, with a new wave of gossip rising, Chip followed her lead and used social media to address the rumor mill.

— jessica mattern, Country Living, "Chip Gaines Addressed Divorce Rumors with 3 Simple Words," 7 Aug. 2017
The shock wave dislodges the outer door handle, which is sent skipping across the concrete floor.

— brantley hargrove, Popular Mechanics, "How to Stop the Wind," 3 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of wave

1526

wave Synonyms

Synonyms

billow, surge, swell

Related Words

sea (s); surf; breaker, whitecap; comber, curl; riffle, ripple, wavelet; ground swell, roller; tidal wave, tsunami

Wave

noun \ ˈwāv \

Definition of Wave

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

See Wave defined for kids

Recent Examples of wave from the Web

The next wave of elite college football prospects have been identified by national recruiting websites, and six Alabama players are included in the latest list.

— josh bean, AL.com, "6 Alabama prep stars picked among nation's top 2020 prospects," 29 Aug. 2017
That chunk of the California Coast seemed preternatural to me — towering redwood trees and cypress twisted by onshore winds, dramatic slopes of mountains dropping into white-capped waves that licked up into fog cover.

— maria finn, Longreads, "Can Love Sparked at Burning Man Last in Everyday Life?," 28 Aug. 2017
One conclusion: masses of cold air that regularly move over the gulf in the winter can stir up waves and pressure differences that can help push the sediment seawards at rates of up to a meter per year.

— zahra ahmad, Science | AAAS, "The Germans torpedoed a ship during World War II. The wreck is now revealing secrets about submarine mudslides," 21 Aug. 2017
Bannon’s exit, while not unexpected, still sent shock waves across the political and media worlds.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "With Bannon Back at Breitbart, a Right-Wing Army Prepares for War," 18 Aug. 2017
Chattering enthusiastically and without filter, Monterroso and Morales fill the air waves with the exuberance expected of a soccer broadcast.

— maria torres, kansascity, "Anotacioooon! Meet the Spanish-language broadcasters who call Chiefs games on radio," 17 Aug. 2017
The 2015 vintage did not taste like my true love—and that’s because 2015 was an unwaveringly warm year in Beaujolais, with heat waves and moderate evenings, creating riper, bigger wines.

— marissa a. ross, Bon Appetit, "Should You Care About a Wine’s Vintage?," 10 Aug. 2017
Now, with a new wave of gossip rising, Chip followed her lead and used social media to address the rumor mill.

— jessica mattern, Country Living, "Chip Gaines Addressed Divorce Rumors with 3 Simple Words," 7 Aug. 2017
The shock wave dislodges the outer door handle, which is sent skipping across the concrete floor.

— brantley hargrove, Popular Mechanics, "How to Stop the Wind," 3 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of wave

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1942

See Words from the same year

Other History Terms

agonistic, carpetbagger, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

Financial Definition of WAVE

wave

noun

What It Is

In investing, a wave is a pattern found in stock prices, technology, consumer trends or other areas. In technical analysis, the term often refers to Elliot Wave Theory.

How It Works

Elliot Wave Theory is a method for predicting stock prices by identifying certain trading patterns. Specifically, the theory states that markets move up in a series of five waves but move down in a series of three waves. The theory looks to investor psychology for key information.

Generally speaking, though, a "wave" is a term used to describe a new way of doing things. For example, Congress could pass new legislation to encourage "crowdfunding," which in turn could drive a new wave of startups who get their capital from online, fund-raising websites. The change could forever change the pathways through which capital reaches companies, and as a result more people may engage in the startup economy. This in turn could create markets for other crowdfunding websites, due diligence consulting firms, startup legal services and branding work.

Why It Matters

It's easy to see how investing ahead of waves could be extremely profitable. New waves can spur significant economic growth in certain sectors, and learning how to identify or predict waves accurately can lead to very good investment decisions.

Source: Investing Answers

WAVE Defined for English Language Learners

wave

verb

Definition of wave for English Language Learners

: to move your hand or something held in your hand usually in a repeated motion in order to signal or greet someone
: to float, shake, or move back and forth because of wind
: to move (something) back and forth

wave

noun

Definition of wave for English Language Learners

: an area of moving water that is raised above the main surface of an ocean, a lake, etc.
: something that has the shape or movement of a wave
: a usually repeated movement of your hand or of something held in your hand especially as a signal or greeting

WAVE Defined for Kids

wave

verb \ ˈwāv \

Definition of wave for Students

waved; waving

1 :to move (as the hand) to and fro as a signal or in greeting

2 :to move (something) back and forth

The Black Knight waved his lance weakly over our heads.
—Jon Scieszka, Knights of the Kitchen Table

3 :to curve slightly

Her hair waves naturally.

4 :to flutter with a rolling movement Flags waved in the wind.

wave

noun

Definition of wave for Students

1 :a moving ridge on the surface of water

2 :a waving motion

a wave of the hand

3 :something that swells and dies away

A wave of anger came over her.

4 :a rolling movement passing along a surface or through the air

waves of grain

5 :a curving shape or series of curving shapes

hair with waves

6 :a sudden increase in something

a crime wave

7 :a motion that is somewhat like a wave in water and transfers energy from point to point

sound waves

Medical Dictionary

wave

noun \ ˈwāv \

medical Definition of wave

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

Learn More about wave

See words that rhyme with wave Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wave Spanish Central: Translation of wave Nglish: Translation of wave for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wave for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wave

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wave

Definition of wave

waveless

wavelessly

wavelike

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First Known Use of wave

wave Synonyms

Synonyms

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Wave

Definition of Wave

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WAVE Defined for English Language Learners

wave

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wave

Definition of wave for English Language Learners

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wave

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wave

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