wave
verb
\
Definition of wave
(Entry 1 of 3)
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
3a : 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
wave
noun (1)Definition of wave (Entry 2 of 3)
1a : a moving ridge or swell on the surface of a liquid (as of the sea)
b : open water
2a : 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
7a : 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
Wave
noun (2)
\
Definition of Wave (Entry 3 of 3)
: a member of the women's component of the U.S. Navy formed during World War II and discontinued in the 1970s
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from wave
Noun (1)
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for wave
Synonyms: Verb
beckon, flag, gesture, motion, signal
Synonyms: Noun (1)
Visit the Thesaurus for More
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: Verb
Children waving British and U.S. flags cheered loudly. — Sylvia Hui, Fox News, "Melania Trump dutifully tries her hand at lawn bowls," 13 July 2018 Schuster, wearing virtual reality glasses and waving the Tilt Brush in the air, wrote personal dedications for each winner - the autographs could be seen on screen. — Judy Cantor-navas, Billboard, "Chilean Firm Ushers In Virtual Record Signings, With Help of Google's Tilt Brush," 12 July 2018 The teammates appear to be in relatively good health and spirits, waving and flashing two-finger victory signs at the camera. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, "Thai Soccer Players Wave in First Hospital Footage Since Dramatic Cave Rescue," 11 July 2018 One of my favorite maneuvers is when the fountains go through a waving motion, reminiscent of windshield wipers. — Dewayne Bevil, OrlandoSentinel.com, "First look: 'Universal Orlando's Cinematic Celebration'," 10 July 2018 The actress then said goodbye, adding a hand waving emoji. — Maria Pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Ariel Winter 'Has Taken a Break from Twitter,' Says Rep: 'She Needs a Moment to Breathe'," 6 July 2018 Instead, there were two players waving for the ball on the opposite side of the perimeter as the ballhandler was forced into another turnover. — Andrew Joseph, For The Win, "Ugly sequence sums up what is wrong with LaVar Ball's JBA league," 26 June 2018 One of the kids recognized Thurmond from his school and waved. — Ben Austen, The New Republic, "How one American city chose to tackle crime, combat racism, and reckon with the legacy of police brutality," 21 June 2018 Such a change would allow a simple majority of all shareholders to wave the deal through. — Ben Dummett, WSJ, "Comcast Raises Sky Offer After Fox Sweetened Its Bid," 12 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
And then there’s Ex American, a minimalist but vibrant blend of new-wave, techno and pop. — Jeff Milo, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit music: Grayling album release, J. Walker & the Crossguards, Chris Canas," 12 July 2018 The 40-year-old mom of six posted an Instagram selfie with her mini-mes, all posing with matching long, blonde beach waves, similar matte makeup, long lashes and their signature glossy pouts. — Colleen Kratofil, PEOPLE.com, "Seeing Triple! Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Two Daughters Are Nearly Indistinguishable in New Selfie," 11 July 2018 Edwin Black, author of IBM and the Holocaust, says the current wave of dissidents is atypical for the tech industry. — Nitasha Tiku, WIRED, "Why Tech Worker Dissent Is Going Viral," 29 June 2018 Or at least it was supposed to be. Hirving Lozano's first-half goal stood up, and Mexico defended against waves of German pressure, defeating the defending World Cup champion 1-0 in front of a pro-El Tri crowd at Moscow's Luzhiki Stadium on Sunday. — Avi Creditor, SI.com, "WATCH: Chucky Lozano Gives Mexico World Cup Win Over Germany," 17 June 2018 Surrounded by the lush tropical forest with soothing sounds of crashing waves, the Presidential Suite is ideal as a gathering space. — Lindsay Silberman, Town & Country, "The Best Room At...Andaz Costa Rica," 14 June 2018 How has something so profane, so intoxicated and so clothing-resistant continued to ride its unique wave in a world miles less accepting of this kind of sandy fun run amok? — Bryce Miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cover your ears: Over-the-Line evolves, but the raunchy team names remain," 14 July 2018 The tribe says there were two waves of flooding caused by recent monsoon storms in northern Arizona. — Dawn Gilbertson, azcentral, "Flash flood closes Havasupai falls," 12 July 2018 All of these moments were, for me, the wave that ended up crashing into this moment of realizing that Gilead is not a safe place for a child. — Jennifer Vineyard, New York Times, "‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Yvonne Strahovski on the Harrowing Finale and Serena’s Murky Future," 11 July 2018These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for wave
wave
nounFinancial Definition of wave
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
verb
English Language Learners Definition of wave
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of wave (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
verb
\
Kids Definition of wave
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
nounKids Definition of wave (Entry 2 of 2)
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
Keep scrolling for more
wave
noun
\
Medical Definition of wave
1a : 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
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on wave
What made you want to look up wave? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Autumn Words of the Day 2018
-
- Which is a synonym of fugacious?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share wave
Resources for wave