wade

1 of 2

verb

ˈwād 

waded; wading

intransitive verb

1

: to step in or through a medium (such as water) offering more resistance than air

2

: to move or proceed with difficulty or labor

wade through the crowd

wade through all the evidence

3

: to set to work or attack with determination or vigor

—used with in or into

wade into a task

transitive verb

: to pass or cross by wading

wadable adjective

or wadeable

ˈwā-də-bəl 

wade

2 of 2

noun

: an act of wading

a wade in the brook

Synonyms of wade

Verb

• tackle
• have at
• dive (into)
• approach
• undertake
• fall (to)
• address
• attack

Examples of wade in a Sentence

Verb

We waded into the ocean.

I jumped off the boat and waded back to shore.

Police waded into the crowd.

We waded through the crowded bus station.

It took several weeks to wade through all the evidence.

We waded our way through the crowd.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

As the winter sun dipped behind the Rocky Mountains of Glacier National Park, Linnea Mills, 18, waded into the frigid, glass-clear waters of Lake McDonald. —Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026

The players who dismantled Liverpool automatically became legends — with one bitter exception, Isak — but have waded through this campaign. —Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

How does a state wading in red ink afford all that? —George Skelton, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026

Leave it to the fearless, small-budget West Edge Opera to wade in where other companies of its size barely dip a toe. —Michael Zwiebach, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English wadan; akin to Old High German watan to go, wade, Latin vadere to go

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1665, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wade

• aid
• aide
• bade
• blade
• braid
• clade
• dade
• fade
• flayed
• fraid
• frayed
• gade

Kids Definition

wade

verb

ˈwād

waded; wading

1

: to step in or through a substance (as water, mud, or sand) that is thicker than air

2

a

: to move or proceed slowly or with difficulty

wade through a dull book

b

: to attack or work energetically

waded into their chores

3

: to pass or cross by wading

wade a stream