Meaning of wave in English
Table of contents
Pronunciation
/weɪv/US accent
UK accent
to browse different examples of pronunciation.Verb
waveEtymology
Old English wafian (verb), from the Germanic base of waver; the noun by alteration (influenced by the verb) of Middle Englishwawe ‘(sea) wave’Definitions
1. signal with the hands or nodExamples
- « She waved to her friends »
- « He waved his hand hospitably »
Derived terms
- 2. move or swing back and forth
Examples
- « She waved her gun »
Derived terms
- 3. move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
Examples
- « The curtains undulated »
- « the waves rolled towards the beach »
Derived terms
- 4. twist or roll into coils or ringlets
Examples
- « curl my hair, please »
Derived terms
- 5. set waves in
Examples
- « she asked the hairdresser to wave her hair »
Noun
waveDefinitions
1. one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)- 2. a movement like that of an ocean wave
Examples
- « a wave of settlers »
- « troops advancing in waves »
Derived terms
- 3. (physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
Derived terms
- 4. something that rises rapidly
Examples
- « a wave of emotion swept over him »
- « there was a sudden wave of buying before the market closed »
- « a wave of conservatism in the country led by the hard right »
- 5. the act of signaling by a movement of the hand
Derived terms
- 6. a hairdo that creates undulations in the hair
Derived terms
- 7. an undulating curve
- 8. a persistent and widespread unusual weather condition (especially of unusual temperatures)
- 9. a member of the women's reserve of the United States Navy
Examples
- « originally organized during World War II but now no longer a separate branch »
Famous quotes
- « People are naming it the Third Wave, the Information Age, etc. but I would say those are basically technological descriptions, and this next shift is not about technology - although obviously it will be influenced and in some cases expressed by technologies. » Paul Hawken
- « Wave after wave of love flooded the stage and washed over me, the beginning of the one great durable romance of my life. » Bette Davis
- « If our history can challenge the next wave of musicians to keep moving and changing, to keep spiritually hungry and horny, that's what it's all about. » Carlos Santana
- « In the music business, especially the country music business, every 10 years or so you're going to have this changing of the guard, this wave of new artists that comes in. » Jason Aldean
- « I may have been the only candidate in America who failed to ride the wave of anti-establishment anger to victory. » Mickey Kaus