Definition of 'wave'
Word forms: waves, waving, waved
1. transitive verb/intransitive verb
2. transitive verb
3. transitive verb
4. intransitive verb
5. countable noun
A wave is a raised mass of water on the surface of water, especially the sea, which is caused
by the wind or by tides making the surface of the water rise and fall.
6. countable noun
7. countable noun
A wave is a sudden increase in heat or energy that spreads out from an earthquake or explosion.
8. countable noun
9. countable noun
10. countable noun
A wave is a sudden increase in a particular activity or type of behavior, especially an
undesirable or unpleasant one.
11. See also
new wave,
tidal wave
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
wave
Word Frequency
Wave in American English
noun
a member of the
WAVES
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
wave in American English
verb intransitiveWord forms: waved or ˈwaving
1.
to move up and down or back and
forth in a curving or undulating motion;
swing,
sway, or
flutter to and fro
said of flexible things free at one end flags waving in the breeze
2.
to signal by moving a hand, arm, light, etc. to and fro
3.
to have the form of a series of curves or undulations
hair that waves naturally
verb transitive
4.
to cause to wave, undulate, or sway to and fro
6.
a.
to move or swing (something) as a signal; motion with (the hand, arms, etc.)
b.
to signal (something) by doing this
to wave farewell
c.
to signal or signify something to (someone) by doing this
he waved us on
noun
8.
a ridge or
swell moving along the surface of a liquid or body of water as a result of disturbance,
as by wind
9.
a.
an undulation or series of undulations in or on a surface, such as that caused by
wind over a field of
grain
b.
a curve or series of curves or curls, as in the hair
c.
an appearance of undulation, by
reflection of light, on watered fabric
10.
a motion to and fro or up and down, such as that made by the hand in signaling
11.
something like a wave in action or effect
; specif.,a.
a crime wave, heat wave, wave of emotion, etc.
12. OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
water; esp., the sea or other body of water
Idioms:
SYNONYMY NOTE:
wave is the general word for a curving ridge or swell in the surface of the ocean or other
body of water; ,
ripple1 is used of the smallest kind of wave, such as that caused by a breeze ruffling the
surface of water; ,
roller is applied to any of the large, heavy, swelling waves that roll in to the shore,
as during a storm; ,
breaker1 is applied to such a wave when it breaks, or is about to break, into foam upon the
shore or upon rocks; ,
billow is a somewhat poetic or rhetorical term for a great, heaving ocean waveWebster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
waveless (ˈwaveless)
adjective
wavelike (ˈwaveˌlike)
adjective
waver (ˈwaver)
noun
Word origin
ME waven < OE wafian, akin to Ger waben, to fluctuate < IE *webh-, to move to and fro, prob. identical with *webh-, to
weaveWord Frequency
wave in British English
verb
3.
to signal or
signify by or as if by waving something
4. (transitive)
to direct to move by or as if by waving something
he waved me on
5.
to form or be formed into curves,
undulations, etc
7. (transitive)
to set waves in (the hair)
noun
8.
9.
any undulation on or at the edge of a surface
reminiscent of such a wave
a wave across the field of corn
10.
the waves
13.
the act or an instance of waving
14. physics
an
oscillation
propagated through a
medium or space such that energy is periodically
interchanged between two kinds of
disturbance. For example, an
oscillating electric field
generates a
magnetic oscillation and
vice versa, hence an
electromagnetic wave is produced. Similarly a wave on a liquid
comprises
vertical and
horizontal
displacements
See also
antinode,
longitudinal wave,
node,
standing wave,
transverse wave15. physics
a graphical
representation of a wave obtained by
plotting the
magnitude of the disturbance against time at a particular point in the medium or space;
waveform
17.
18.
an undulating pattern or
finish on a fabric
19. short for
wave moth
20.
make waves
21.
ride the wave
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
waveless (ˈwaveless) adjective
wavelessly (ˈwavelessly)
adverb
wavelike (ˈwaveˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English wafian (vb); related to Old High German weban to weave, Old Norse vafra; see waver; C16 (n) changed from earlier wāwe, probably from Old English wǣg motion; compare wag1Examples of 'wave' in a sentence
wave
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Trends of
wave
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In other languages
wave
British English: wave
/weɪv/ NOUN
greeting If you give a wave, you move your hand from side to side in the air, usually to say hello or goodbye to someone.
- American English: wave
- Arabic: مَوْجَة
- Brazilian Portuguese: aceno
- Chinese: 波浪
- Croatian: val
- Czech: mávnutí na pozdrav
- Danish: vink
- Dutch: zwaai watergolf
- European Spanish: decir adiós/saludar con la mano
- Finnish: aalto
- French: signe de la main
- German: Geste winken
- Greek: κύμα
- Italian: gesto
- Japanese: 波
- Korean: 손 흔들기
- Norwegian: bølge
- Polish: fala
- European Portuguese: aceno
- Romanian: semn cu mâna
- Russian: волна
- Spanish: gesto de la mano
- Swedish: våg hav
- Thai: การโบกมือ
- Turkish: dalga
- Ukrainian: помах
- Vietnamese: sóng
British English: wave
/weɪv/ VERB
gesture If you wave your hand, you move it from side to side, usually to say hello or goodbye.
She waved her hand dismissively.
Everywhere he went people turned and waved to him, delighted to see him.
- American English: wave
- Arabic: يُلَوِح
- Brazilian Portuguese: acenar
- Chinese: 挥手
- Croatian: mahati
- Czech: mávat
- Danish: vinke
- Dutch: zwaaien
- European Spanish: saludar con la mano
- Finnish: heiluttaa kättään
- French: saluer geste de la main
- German: winken
- Greek: γνέφω
- Italian: agitare
- Japanese: 手を振る
- Korean: 손을 흔들다
- Norwegian: vinke
- Polish: zafalować
- European Portuguese: acenar
- Romanian: a face cu mâna
- Russian: махать
- Spanish: saludar con la mano
- Swedish: vinka
- Thai: โบกมือ
- Turkish: el sallamak
- Ukrainian: махати
- Vietnamese: vẫy tay
British English: wave /weɪv/ NOUN
of the sea Waves on the surface of the sea are the parts that move up and down.
The waves broke over the rocks.
- American English: wave
- Arabic: مَوْج
- Brazilian Portuguese: onda
- Chinese: 波浪
- Croatian: val
- Czech: vlnamořská
- Danish: bølge
- Dutch: golf
- European Spanish: ola
- Finnish: aalto
- French: vague
- German: Welle
- Greek: κύμα
- Italian: onda
- Japanese: 波
- Korean: 파도
- Norwegian: bølge
- Polish: fala
- European Portuguese: onda
- Romanian: val
- Russian: волна
- Spanish: ola
- Swedish: vågor
- Thai: คลื่น
- Turkish: dalga
- Ukrainian: хвиля
- Vietnamese: sóng
Nearby words of
wave
Source
Definition of wave from the
Collins English Dictionary
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