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

In Long Beach, waves breached a bulkhead, flooding homes and nearby streets, according to the Long Beach Post and videos posted online. — N. Kirkpatrick, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 Surges can reach as much as 20 feet or more and that does not include waves, which are on top of storm surge. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026 Long Beach Powerful waves crumbled large sections of the boardwalk on the Long Beach Peninsula and left several homes with severe structural damage. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 Pink noise is softer and deeper, closer to rustling leaves or ocean waves. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026 The warning did not indicate that destructive tsunami waves had reached all nine countries. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026 Smaller tsunami waves of less than 1 foot above tide levels were forecast for coastal areas of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Cyclists and commuters passing by offered supportive waves and honks. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026 Instead of discrete, tiny objects, particles act more like continuous waves. — Sophya Garashchuk, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 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

Due to changing storm patterns, the kelp forests are also battered by more damaging winter swells, according to Scripps associate researcher Ed Parnell.

— Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Rachel’s swells are expected to generate life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions off Mexico’s coast, the NHC warned.

— Fabiola Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of swells

Verb

How tomato leaf became spring’s pumpkin spice Fans of the scent are describing it as the warm-weather answer to pumpkin spice, the seasonal cue that signals summer the way cinnamon and nutmeg signal fall.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
But that mainstream attention also signals stiffer competition ahead.

— Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026