waved; waving
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
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
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
plural waves
1
a
: a moving ridge or swell on the surface of a liquid (as of the sea)
b
chiefly literary
: water, sea
… this our island in the wave …—
Charles Dickens
Charles DickensThe buccaneer on the wave might relinquish his calling and become … a man of probity and piety on land …—Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel HawthorneThe sea was open to them, and they achieved their victories on the briny wave.—The Book of Commerce by Sea and Land
The Book of Commerce by Sea and Land2
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 or occurrence
a wave of spending
a second wave of infection
a crime wave
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
: a member of the women's component of the U.S. Navy formed during World War II and discontinued in the 1970s
Examples of wave in a Sentence
Verb
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.
Noun (1)
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 on the Web
Sacbee.com, 15 June 2025
Falling water can produce electricity via hydropower, and moving ocean water can produce electricity via tidal or wave power.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Chris Branch, New York Times, 17 June 2025
The next big wave of digital transformation is being driven by agentic AI.
—Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wave
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Maya and Sam Rivers brought their almost 2-year-old daughter to the west steps, one of several children playing in the grass, some waving flags.
—Sacbee.com, 15 June 2025
Falling water can produce electricity via hydropower, and moving ocean water can produce electricity via tidal or wave power.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Noun
Conquering the Pacer comeback wave feels like the final breakthrough.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 17 June 2025
The next big wave of digital transformation is being driven by agentic AI.
—Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wave
Cite this Entry
“Wave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wave. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wave
1 of 3 verb
waved; waving
1
: to float or shake in an air current : flutter
flags waving in the breeze
2
: to signal or salute with the hand or with something held in it
3
: brandish
waved a pistol and made threats
4
: to move before the wind with a wavelike motion
a field of waving grain
5
: to follow or cause to follow a curving line or take a wavy form
waved her hair
wave
2 of 3 noun1
: a moving ridge on the surface of water
2
: a wavelike formation or shape
a wave in the hair
3
: the action or process of making wavy or curly
4
: a waving motion
a wave of the hand
5
: a steady flowing movement
a wave of color swept the speaker's face
6
: a sudden or rapid increase
a wave of buying
7
: a disturbance similar to a wave in water that transfers energy progressively from point to point
a light wave
8
: a period of hot or cold weather
Wave
3 of 3 noun
: a woman serving in the navy before 1978
Medical Definition
wave
noun1
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
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