wavesurf; whitecap; undulate: wave a flag; to signal with the hand: wave good-byeNot to be confused with:waive ? relinquish a right voluntarily: waive his right to a jury trial; dispense with; forgo: waive a feeAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary EmbreeWave (w?v)n. A member of the women’s reserve of the US Navy, organized during World War II, but now no longer a separate branch.[From W(omen) A(ccepted for) V(olunteer) E(mergency Service).]wave (w?v)v. waved, wav·ing, waves v.intr.1. To move freely back and forth or up and down in the air, as branches in the wind.2. To make a signal with an up-and-down or back-and-forth movement of the hand or an object held in the hand: waved as she drove by.3. To have an undulating or wavy form; curve or curl: Her hair waves naturally.v.tr.1. To cause to move back and forth or up and down, either once or repeatedly: She waved a fan before her face.2. a. To move or swing as in giving a signal: He waved his hand. See Synonyms at flourish.b. To signal or express by waving the hand or an object held in the hand: We waved goodbye.c. To signal (a person) by using the hand to move in a specified direction: The police officer waved the motorist into the right lane.3. To arrange into curves, curls, or undulations: wave one’s hair.n.1. a. A ridge or swell moving through or along the surface of a large body of water.b. A small ridge or swell moving across the interface of two fluids and dependent on surface tension.2. often waves The sea: vanished beneath the waves.3. Something that suggests the form and motion of a wave in the sea, especially:a. A moving curve or succession of curves in or on a surface; an undulation: waves of wheat in the wind.b. A curve or succession of curves, as in the hair.c. A curved shape, outline, or pattern.4. A movement up and down or back and forth: a wave of the hand.5. a. A surge or rush, as of sensation: a wave of nausea; a wave of indignation.b. A sudden great rise, as in activity or intensity: a wave of panic selling on the stock market.c. A rising trend that involves large numbers of individuals: a wave of conservatism.d. One of a succession of mass movements: the first wave of settlers.e. A maneuver in which fans at a sports event simulate an ocean wave by rising quickly in sequence with arms upraised and then quickly sitting down again in a continuous rolling motion.6. A widespread, persistent meteorological condition, especially of temperature: a heat wave.7. Physics a. A disturbance that travels through a medium. Energy is transferred by a wave from one region of the medium to another without causing any permanent displacement of the medium.b. A graphic representation of the variation of such a disturbance with time.c. A single cycle of a periodic wave.Phrasal Verb: wave off1. To dismiss or refuse by waving the hand or arm: waved off his invitation to join the group.2. Sports To cancel or nullify by waving the arms, usually from a crossed position: waved off the goal because time had run out.[Middle English waven, from Old English wafian; see webh- in Indo-European roots.]wav?er n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.wave (we?v) vb1. to move or cause to move freely to and fro: the banner waved in the wind. 2. (intr) to move the hand to and fro as a greeting3. to signal or signify by or as if by waving something4. (tr) to direct to move by or as if by waving something: he waved me on. 5. to form or be formed into curves, undulations, etc6. (Textiles) (tr) to give a wavy or watered appearance to (silk, etc)7. (Hairdressing & Grooming) (tr) to set waves in (the hair)n8. (Physical Geography) one of a sequence of ridges or undulations that moves across the surface of a body of a liquid, esp the sea: created by the wind or a moving object and gravity9. any undulation on or at the edge of a surface reminiscent of such a wave: a wave across the field of corn. 10. (Physical Geography) the waves the sea11. anything that suggests the movement of a wave, as by a sudden rise: a crime wave. 12. a widespread movement that advances in a body: a wave of settlers swept into the country. 13. the act or an instance of waving14. (General Physics) 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. (General Physics) 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; waveform16. (Physical Geography) a prolonged spell of some weather condition: a heat wave. 17. (Hairdressing & Grooming) an undulating curve or series of curves or loose curls in the hair18. (Textiles) an undulating pattern or finish on a fabric19. (Animals) short for wave moth20. make waves to cause trouble; disturb the status quo21. ride the wave slang US to enjoy a period of success and good fortune[Old English wafian (vb); related to Old High German weban to weave, Old Norse vafra; see waver; C16 (n) changed from earlier w?we, probably from Old English w?g motion; compare wag1] ?waveless adj ?wavelessly adv ?wave?like adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014wave (we?v) n., v. waved, wav?ing. n. 1. a disturbance on the surface of a liquid body, as the sea or a lake, in the form of a moving ridge or swell. 2. any surging or progressing movement or part resembling a wave of the sea. 3. a swell, surge, or rush: a wave of disgust. 4. a widespread attitude or tendency, etc.: a wave of anti-intellectualism. 5. a mass movement: a wave of settlers. 6. an outward curve in a surface or line; undulation. 7. an act or instance of waving. 8. a waviness of the hair. 9. a period of unusually hot or cold weather. 10. Physics. a progressive disturbance propagated from point to point in a medium or space without progress or advance by the points themselves, as in the transmission of sound or light. v.i. 11. to move freely and gently back and forth or up and down, as by the action of air currents, sea swells, etc.: flags waving in the wind. 12. to curve alternately in opposite directions; have an undulating form. 13. to bend or sway up and down or to and fro. 14. to be moved, esp. alternately in opposite directions: a handkerchief waving in the distance. 15. to signal, esp. in greeting, by raising the hand and moving the fingers up and down. v.t. 16. to cause to flutter or have a waving motion in. 17. to cause to bend or sway up and down or to and fro. 18. to cause to curve up and down or in and out. 19. to give a wavy appearance or pattern to, as silk. 20. to impart a wave to (the hair). 21. to greet or signal someone by raising and moving (the hand), esp. alternately in opposite directions. 22. to direct by a waving movement: to wave traffic around an obstacle. 23. to signify or express by a waving movement. Idioms: make waves, Informal. to disturb the status quo. [1325?75; Middle English; Old English wafian to wave the hands] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.wave (w?v) A disturbance or vibration that passes through a medium, such as air or water, transferring energy without causing a permanent change to the medium. See also longitudinal wave, transverse wave. See Note at refraction.The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.wavecomber, breaker, roller – A long curving wave is a comber, a wave that curls over and dissolves into foam is a breaker, and a long wave moving steadily shoreward is a roller.scend – As a noun, it is the surge of a wave or the sea; as a verb, it means to pitch or surge up in a heavy sea.undulate – From Latin unda, “wave.”wave – Meaning “movement of the sea,” it seems to be an alteration of the earlier wawe, “wave,” from Old English woeg, “motion, wave.”Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.wave1. A formation of forces, landing ships, craft, amphibious vehicles or aircraft, required to beach or land about the same time. Can be classified as to type, function or order as shown: a. assault wave; b. boat wave; c. helicopter wave; d. numbered wave; e. on-call wave; f. scheduled wave.2. (DOD only) An undulation of water caused by the progressive movement of energy from point to point along the surface of the water.Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.Wave(s) a body of water; the forward movement of a large body of persons, animals, or things.Examples: wave of admirals; wave after wave of the enemy, 1879; wave of enthusiasm; of error, 1781; of strong feeling, 1855; of immigrants, 1893; of materialism, 1903; of militarism, 1915; of opinion, 1870; of passion, 1781; of population, 1852; of prejudice, 1847; of snow, 1886; of tribulations; of weary wretchedness, 1590.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.wavePast participle: wavedGerund: wavingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativewavewavePresentI waveyou wavehe/she/it waveswe waveyou wavethey wavePreteriteI wavedyou wavedhe/she/it wavedwe wavedyou wavedthey wavedPresent ContinuousI am wavingyou are wavinghe/she/it is wavingwe are wavingyou are wavingthey are wavingPresent PerfectI have wavedyou have wavedhe/she/it has wavedwe have wavedyou have wavedthey have wavedPast ContinuousI was wavingyou were wavinghe/she/it was wavingwe were wavingyou were wavingthey were wavingPast PerfectI had wavedyou had wavedhe/she/it had wavedwe had wavedyou had wavedthey had wavedFutureI will waveyou will wavehe/she/it will wavewe will waveyou will wavethey will waveFuture PerfectI will have wavedyou will have wavedhe/she/it will have wavedwe will have wavedyou will have wavedthey will have wavedFuture ContinuousI will be wavingyou will be wavinghe/she/it will be wavingwe will be wavingyou will be wavingthey will be wavingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been wavingyou have been wavinghe/she/it has been wavingwe have been wavingyou have been wavingthey have been wavingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been wavingyou will have been wavinghe/she/it will have been wavingwe will have been wavingyou will have been wavingthey will have been wavingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been wavingyou had been wavinghe/she/it had been wavingwe had been wavingyou had been wavingthey had been wavingConditionalI would waveyou would wavehe/she/it would wavewe would waveyou would wavethey would wavePast ConditionalI would have wavedyou would have wavedhe/she/it would have wavedwe would have wavedyou would have wavedthey would have wavedCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011wave1. A disturbance moving through the surface of land or water.2. A disturbance or pulse moving through space or a medium.Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited