wave

WAYV/weɪv/

Pluralwaves

Verbwaves, waving, waved

Often confused with waive

20 meanings of wave

Practice

1
ocean rollnouncountable
A raised line of water that rises and rolls across the surface of a sea, lake, or pond.
Like the ripples that spread out when you drop a stone into a pond.
A big wave knocked the children off their feet at the beach.
Waves crashed against the rocks all through the night.
UsageWaves crash on the beach.
Similarbreaker, roller, swell, billow
Note
2
greet someoneverbintransitive
To move your hand from side to side to say hello or goodbye.
Like a flag moving back and forth in the wind.
She waved at her friend across the street.
I always wave when the train pulls away.
UsageWave to your friend.
Similargesture
3
sudden burstnounfigurativelycountable
A sudden rise in something that does not last long.
Like a quick burst of rain that stops as fast as it started.
A wave of excitement spread through the crowd.
The store saw a wave of orders after the ad aired.
UsageSay a wave of sadness or a wave of flu cases.
Similarrush
Note
4
energy ripplenouncountable
A movement that carries energy through air, water, rock, or empty space, like sound or light.
Like ripples spreading across a pond after a stone drops in.
Light travels as a wave through empty space.
Sound waves move faster through water than through air.
UsageSay sound waves or radio waves.
Note
5
pop culturenounfigurativelycountable
A new trend or movement that becomes popular for a time.
Like a new game that suddenly everyone at school wants to play.
The new wave of pop music filled the radio that summer.
The hip-hop wave changed music and fashion around the world.
UsageSome names use capitals, such as the French New Wave.
Similartrend, surge, movement, boom
Note
6
swing somethingverbtransitive
To make something move back and forth, often by holding and shaking it.
Like shaking a towel up and down to dry it.
She waved a flag to cheer on the runners.
Wave your ticket so the usher can see it.
UsageYou wave a flag. To waive a fee means not to ask for it.
Similarbrandish, flourish, flap, shake
7
a hand gesturenouncountable
A loose side-to-side movement, like the motion of a hand saying hello.
Like a small flag swinging side to side.
She gave a quick wave before leaving the room.
His friendly wave made the new kid feel welcome.
UsageGive someone a wave.
Similargesture, flick, flourish, signal
8
signalverbmetonymicallytransitive
To move your hand back and forth to give someone a signal or tell them what to do.
The crossing guard will wave the children across the street when the cars stop.
She waved a warning to the approaching cars.
UsageWave someone over: call them with your hand.
Similarsignal, direct, motion, beckon
Note
9
flutterverbintransitive
To move gently from side to side or up and down, like a flag in the wind.
Like a flag fluttering loosely in the wind.
The flags wave in the breeze outside the school.
Tall grass waved gently across the open field.
Similarflutter, sway, ripple, flap, billow
Note
10
curved linenouncountable
A curved shape that bends one way and then the other, over and over.
Like the up-and-down line a heartbeat makes on a screen.
She drew a wave along the bottom of the page.
The design has a wave running through the middle.
Similarundulation, curve, squiggle
11
game enemiesnouncountable
A group of enemies that attacks all at once in a game, before the next group comes.
Like waiting for one group of attackers after another, each tougher than the last.
We barely survived the final wave of zombies.
Each new wave sends tougher monsters at you.
Similarround
Note

Less common meanings

12
style into curlsverbtransitive
To style hair so that it forms soft, repeating curves.
Like bending a straight wire into gentle curves.
The stylist waved her hair for the wedding.
They wave their hair with hot rollers before the show.
Similarcurl, crimp, perm
Oppositestraighten
13
form curvesverbintransitive
To have a shape with smooth curves, or give something that shape.
Like the gentle curves of a winding river seen from above.
His thick hair waves a little when it grows long.
The painted lines wave across the wall in gentle curves.
Similarcurl, ripple, undulate
14
stadium crowdnouncountable
A crowd action where people stand and raise their arms in turn, then sit, so the motion rolls around a stadium.
Like a ripple moving across water, but made of people standing up one after another.
The fans started a wave that circled the whole stadium.
We joined the wave as it came around our section.
UsageCrowds do the wave.
Note
15
vibrate (field)verbintransitive
To move up and down or back and forth as a wave passes through, like air carrying sound.
Like a fan pushing air to make ripples in a curtain.
If sound is a wave, the air is the thing that waves.
Scientists wondered what could wave in empty space.
16
miss (baseball)verbintransitive
In baseball, to swing the bat at a pitch and miss it.
Like swinging at a fly and hitting only air.
He waved at the fastball for strike three.
Rookies often wave at curveballs low in the zone.
UsageSay a batter waves at the ball.
Similarwhiff
Note
17
warehouse batchnouncountable
In a warehouse, a group of orders picked together during one short time period.
Like sorting mail into groups and handling one group at a time.
Workers packed the morning wave before lunch.
The next wave includes over two hundred orders.
Similarbatch
Note
18
sea (in poems)nounliterary
The sea or ocean, used in poems and songs.
Similarsea, ocean, deep, main
Oppositeland
Note
19
verbobsoleteintransitive
To keep changing and not stay steady, never feeling sure.
He waved indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good nor harm.
c. 1608, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”Here, waved means went back and forth, unable to decide.
Note
20
noun
A kind of moth with wavy lines across its wings.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of wave apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 2, 6, 8–9, 12–13, 16, 19

From an Old English word wafian meaning to wave or waver, going back to older Germanic and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to move to and fro or wander.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Wave derives from Old English wafian, meaning to wave or waver. en.wiktionary.org
Its ancestry extends to Germanic and Proto-Indo-European roots with movement or wandering meanings. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1, 3–5, 7, 10–11, 14–15, 17–18

From Old English wǣg meaning a wave or sea, from older Germanic and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to drag or carry; it was also shaped by the verb waven (to fluctuate).

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Wave descends in part from Old English wǣg, meaning wave or sea. en.wiktionary.org
Its ancestry extends through Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root associated with dragging or carrying. en.wiktionary.org
The noun was also influenced by Middle English waven, meaning to fluctuate. en.wiktionary.org