whitecap

noun

white·​cap ˈ(h)wīt-ˌkap 

: a wave crest breaking into white foam

—usually used in plural

Examples of whitecap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The island is so close to shore and the water in the bay, which the breeze had rucked into a frenzy of small whitecaps, didn’t seem to be giving the smaller fishing boats any trouble. —Emma Sloley august 14, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025

The tip of the wave spills over and breaks into foam, or whitecap, releasing the excess energy. —Francesco Fedele, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025

Keep this fact in mind the next time a scary Jaws scene pops into your head while wading knee-deep into the whitecaps. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025

The bill sailed through the House but immediately hit whitecaps in the Senate as prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy groups raised murky legal concerns about the proposal, throwing it into limbo. —Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for whitecap

• handicap
• overlap
• thunderclap
• wiretap
• app
• cap
• chap
• clap
• crap
• flap
• frap
• gap

Kids Definition

whitecap

noun

white·​cap ˈhwīt-ˌkap 

ˈwīt-

: the top of a wave breaking into foam

—usually used in plural