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
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Recent Examples of waves
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Gold is a safe-haven asset that investors gravitate toward when economic and political turmoil erupts, sending waves through the markets.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 2 June 2026
Overnight into Tuesday, waves of drones and missiles struck the capital, killing and injuring civilians and damaging homes, businesses and public buildings.
—Polina Lytvynova, NPR, 2 June 2026
Within an hour, skyscrapers flatten to golden sand, and the honk of yellow taxis is replaced by the soothing sounds of rolling waves.
—Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2026
When Colorado opened a few games with waves of offense in the opening minutes, stringing long sequences of offensive-zone time together, the Golden Knights found trigger points to streak the other way.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Shore break occurs when waves break directly on the beach.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
The beach boasts shifting sandbars that foster waves with surprisingly good swell.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The Final Years made waves when its existence was unveiled in March 2025.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Ben-Gvir waves a large Israeli flag and tells the detainees.
—Nick Duffy, NBC news, 20 May 2026
Then Boyd waves to a man passing the DJ booth window.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
At the end of the video, Williams proposes to Laufey as her guest stars watch on with vacant expressions — even as the Grammy winner waves her hands in front of their faces.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Based on the Tacoma pickup, the midsize 4Runner still waves the flag for the traditional SUV fans who want real off-road performance.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
The snowy-haired Scot waves me into the passenger seat of his Can-Am Traxter with a huge grin and navigates us through the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town, famously anchored by mainland Britain’s most remote pub, the Old Forge.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2026
Every now and again, a brand-new book waves its knowing hand.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 11 Feb. 2026
The agent who appeared to be de-escalating a separate agent turns attention to the agent deploying pepper spray and waves him down.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
The backstory South African billionaire and tech magnate Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos had already created waves at Babylonstoren in South Africa, with its gardens modeled on those of the Dutch East India Company, vineyards, and herbal spa.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Gold is a safe-haven asset that investors gravitate toward when economic and political turmoil erupts, sending waves through the markets.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 2 June 2026
Overnight into Tuesday, waves of drones and missiles struck the capital, killing and injuring civilians and damaging homes, businesses and public buildings.
—Polina Lytvynova, NPR, 2 June 2026
Within an hour, skyscrapers flatten to golden sand, and the honk of yellow taxis is replaced by the soothing sounds of rolling waves.
—Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2026
When Colorado opened a few games with waves of offense in the opening minutes, stringing long sequences of offensive-zone time together, the Golden Knights found trigger points to streak the other way.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Shore break occurs when waves break directly on the beach.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
The beach boasts shifting sandbars that foster waves with surprisingly good swell.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The Final Years made waves when its existence was unveiled in March 2025.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Verb
Reid waves a paperback around before tossing it behind his back.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Ben-Gvir waves a large Israeli flag and tells the detainees.
—Nick Duffy, NBC news, 20 May 2026
Then Boyd waves to a man passing the DJ booth window.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
At the end of the video, Williams proposes to Laufey as her guest stars watch on with vacant expressions — even as the Grammy winner waves her hands in front of their faces.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Based on the Tacoma pickup, the midsize 4Runner still waves the flag for the traditional SUV fans who want real off-road performance.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
The snowy-haired Scot waves me into the passenger seat of his Can-Am Traxter with a huge grin and navigates us through the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town, famously anchored by mainland Britain’s most remote pub, the Old Forge.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2026
Every now and again, a brand-new book waves its knowing hand.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 11 Feb. 2026
The agent who appeared to be de-escalating a separate agent turns attention to the agent deploying pepper spray and waves him down.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waves
Noun
-
The south shore of Kauai—like most Hawaiian islands—sees bigger swells during the summer months, while the north shore has bigger waves in the winter.—
Brianna Randall,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
The gentle waves at South Beach attract families, while East Beach has bigger swells.—
Elizabeth Rhodes,
Travel + Leisure,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
With its asking price now at $7 million, the listing remains positioned at the very top end of the Sacramento-area market — but the price cut signals the reality of selling a trophy property where history and architecture are as central to the pitch as bedrooms and square footage.—
David Caraccio
May 29,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
-
This news signals another apparent blow to any hopes Pitt, 62, has of reconnecting with any, or most, of his children.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waves. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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