Thesaurus results for WAVES

waves 1 of 2

noun

plural of wave

as in swells

a moving ridge on the surface of water the toddler was almost knocked down by the waves created by the speedboat

Synonyms & Similar Words

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waves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of wave

as in motions

to direct or notify by a movement or gesture waved them over to the side of the road

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of waves

Noun

Their experiment shows how magnetic waves inside the material can imprint microwave signals onto laser light. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 Gay Rogers, who has lived with the flooding for 50 years, said speeding cars regularly send waves of water splashing to her front door, leaving trash scattered across her lawn. — Joan Murray, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 The thing is, interference is created by the fact that the wave goes through two holes, and what come out is two waves. — Quanta Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026 The shoegaze sound keeps evolving, as young artists keep hearing themselves in those mega-distorted waves of guitar fuzz. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026 With these over-performing beauty tools, our foundation, blush, curls, and waves have never had it so good. — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026 These storms have sent numerous rounds of large waves towards Southern California during much of the summer. — Daniel Manzo, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 Large, destructive waves and life-threatening rip currents are forecast across many Hawaiian shorelines during the next several days. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026 Yet further down in Dana Point is where the crowds thin out and the gorgeous coastline of rocky cliffs, endless beaches, and bright blue ocean waves come into focus. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026

Verb

Picture a doorman who checks your ID with great care, then waves you into any apartment in the building. — Julian Durand, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 The Spa At the beach-level spa, the windows were left wide open during my 60-minute Salt Air Reset massage, making all-natural birdsong and waves the soundtrack of my treatment. — Katie Nanton, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026 My son waves his hands through my light and laughs and laughs. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026 Ferrari is wary of a culture that diagnoses and labels nearly everything, and equally wary of the backlash that waves off deeper work as just talking. — Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 15 July 2026 Luke offers to change Nathan’s, but the bosun waves away the offer. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 July 2026 Not to the American fan who calls it soccer, waves the flag and doesn't apologize for loving his country. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026 Daddy Yankee waves the Puerto Rican flag on a float during the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City on June 14. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026 The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves up to 10 feet were possible on some coasts of the Philippines. — CBS News, 7 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waves

Noun

Every morning, before surfers paddled out, the longtime Venice resident described swells, winds and surf conditions to his followers, becoming for some the town’s trusted surf chronicler.

— Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
The remnants of that storm also are causing big swells of waves in the ocean, and those are expected to keep having an impact on Bay Area beaches.

— Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of swells

Verb

If an insurer signals that your damages should be reduced, a Florida attorney can tell you which deadlines are already running and what the other side would actually have to prove to move the number.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
Their public embrace signals a broader shift already underway.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026