wave

verb \ ˈwāv \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: wave in a Sentence

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

South Korea finally scored, but the goal was originally waved off and thus was subject to video review.

— bob ryan, BostonGlobe.com, "You don’t have to love soccer to appreciate the greatness of the World Cup," 29 June 2018
That morning, Puri and her husband stood beside the Gils and watched as the technicians were waved through the Valley’s gate on their way to the crypts.

— matías costa, Smithsonian, "The Battle Over the Memory of the Spanish Civil War," 28 June 2018
Douglas hopes that within the safe space of the home parents and kids can enter a dialogue about these aspects of childhood, which often are waved away as unwholesome fantasy.

— jef rouner, Houston Chronicle, "Wilde Collection art show makes dark less scary for young artists," 21 June 2018
With the Dodgers leading 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning, Matt Kemp was waved home following a hit to right field by Kiké Hernandez.

— jace evans, USA TODAY, "Benches clear after Dodgers' Matt Kemp takes out Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos," 13 June 2018
When the flag was waved early, a frustrated Vettel was worried that people would run onto the track with racers still driving at full speed.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Model Winnie Harlow forces Canadian Grand Prix to end early after checkered-flag blunder," 10 June 2018
But Jace Peterson was waved around third into the final out of the inning with Machado on deck.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles offense comes up short again as losing streak extends to seven with 8-5 loss to Yankees," 3 June 2018
Where there are checkpoints, Han Chinese are routinely waved through.

— The Economist, "China has turned Xinjiang into a police state like no other," 31 May 2018
There was some contention about the outcome, though, as another team said Wheldon passed Hildebrand after a yellow flag was waved.

— dakota crawford, Indianapolis Star, "Dramatic Indy 500 finishes are impossible to understand, 'unless you're there'," 25 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

wave Synonyms

Synonyms

beckon, flag, gesture, motion, signal;

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 pool thus narrowed, the real selection process kicks off: The Bachelorette needs tousled waves, a good attitude, and white teeth.

— mattie kahn, Glamour, "Cazzie David Should Be the Next Bachelorette: A Proposal," 10 July 2018
Serena Williams waves to the crowd after beating Evgeniya Rodina.

— jason gay, WSJ, "My Manic Monday at Wimbledon," 9 July 2018
One moment a wave of catastrophic emotions, the next a cavern of emptiness.

— wes siler, Outside Online, "Doing It for the ‘Gram Turns Deadly," 9 July 2018
During the parade, waves of riders — 4,000 at a time — rode through the central part of Prague, squeezing together at times to navigate the narrow streets shared by electric trams, automobiles, delivery trucks and thousands of cheering spectators.

— rick barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Harley-Davidson riders in Prague share a parade, stories, at a rally that fuels their passion," 7 July 2018
One moment a wave of catastrophic emotions, the next a cavern of emptiness.

— bijan stephen, The Verge, "Three YouTube travel influencers die in waterfall accident in British Columbia," 6 July 2018
Spiders have proven quite adept at riding the waves, electric or otherwise, even measuring out the wind strength and adjusting themselves accordingly.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Spiders Can Harness Electric Fields to Fly," 5 July 2018
Second wave, close to 300 goods, another $16 billion.

— Fox News, "Ari Fleischer: Trump wanted a trade war, he's getting one," 3 July 2018
With luxury pickups offering some of the highest profit margins in the industry, manufacturers are riding the pop culture wave, their truck ads awash in country artists and soundtrack.

— james c. cobb, Smithsonian, "The Pickup Truck’s Transformation From Humble Workhorse to Fancy Toy," 3 July 2018

First Known Use of wave

1526

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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

Origin and Etymology of wave

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1942

in the meaning defined above

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up wave? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

wave

Definition of wave

Examples of wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wave from the Web

Origin and Etymology of wave

wave Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of wave

wave

Definition of wave

waveless

wavelessly

wavelike

Examples of wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wave from the Web

First Known Use of wave

wave Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Wave

Definition of Wave

Origin and Etymology of wave

Other History Terms

Financial Definition of WAVE

What It Is

How It Works

Why It Matters

Phrases Related to WAVE

Related Phrases

WAVE Defined for English Language Learners

wave

Definition of wave for English Language Learners

wave

Definition of wave for English Language Learners

WAVE Defined for Kids

wave

Definition of wave for Students

wave

Definition of wave for Students

Medical Dictionary

wave

medical Definition of wave

Learn More about wave

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/13

Obscure Shapes

Wonderful Words That You're Not Using (Yet)

Trending: Ocasio-Cortez Sparks 'Socialism' Lookups

Ghost Word