to wave
- verb
- /weɪv/
- She waved her hand enthusiastically to get his attention.
Examples
-
There's still time to turn around, I think, but Laurel is already waving and smiling at someone.
Fiction book (1990) -
The boy stepped into the rain and waved to her as the bus departed.
Fiction book (1990) -
My father got out, waved up to the window, and started to come up.
Fiction book (1990) -
They've earned the right to march into that stadium and wave their nation's flag.
-
A man wearing a large black bull's head danced toward me, waving his horns from side to side.
Fiction book (1991) -
An old-fashioned lawn sprinkler lazily waves water back and forth over the freshly cut grass.
Fiction book (1992) -
During the parade, the crowd waved brightly colored flags.
-
As the ship departed, the passengers waved goodbye from the deck.
Synonyms
To move across the sky or land with a smooth swaying motion
To move up and down quickly, like wings or flags
To move in small waves on water when wind blows
To trail out in a long, flowing way behind something
To rise and fall in a regular way like waves
To move or shake in a slight, unsteady way
To move in smooth waves like tall grass in the wind
Full of large rounded shapes that move outward, like cloth, smoke, or clouds
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
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A sudden strong wave of air and energy that moves away from an explosion or impact
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A pattern of vibrations that moves through air, water, or solids and carries sound
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Radio wave that carries information when its strength, rate, or timing is changed
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A math rule in quantum physics that shows how likely a particle is to be in a certain place
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A wave of energy made of changing electric and magnetic fields that travels at the speed of light
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A ripple in space and time made by very strong events like colliding black holes
A movement in 1950s and 1960s French films that used new ways of telling stories and showing images
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A brain rhythm you have when you are awake and relaxed, often when you close your eyes or meditate
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A slow, low energy brain rhythm that appears when a person is awake but relaxed or drowsy
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A type of radio signal with waves longer than one kilometre used for long distance broadcasting
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A radio wave that travels long distances and carries international broadcasts
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A surface that joins points a wave reaches at the same time, like light or sound
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A wave in space that makes space and time stretch when very heavy things move, like two black holes colliding
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A wave pattern with some points that stay still while parts between them move up and down
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A wave that carries sound through air, water, or a solid by vibrations
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A radio band used for AM broadcasts with long waves that travel far at night
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An equation that shows how waves such as light and sound move through space and materials
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A part of physics that explains atoms and very small particles as waves
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A physics idea that light and matter act like waves and particles when you look at them
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A device that changes electricity that goes back and forth into a steady positive flow
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A radio wave that travels along the Earth's surface and follows its curve
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A radio wave sent into the sky that bounces off the ionosphere back to Earth
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An equation that shows how tiny particles behave over time
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A wave that moves through something and carries energy along its path
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A moving pattern of brain activity that travels across different areas
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A radio wave that bounces off the high air layer or a satellite back to the ground to travel far
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A single wave that travels long distances without changing shape or losing energy
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A single wave that keeps its shape while moving at steady speed in some materials
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A pattern where some points stay still and others vibrate strongly on a string or in air
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The direction at which a radio signal comes to or leaves an antenna array, measured from the antenna's axis
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The direction from which ocean waves approach the shore, measured from the shoreline
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A scientific idea that light moves as waves and makes bright and dark patterns
How Wavy
Surface Forms
Etymology
Wave as a verb comes from an old word meaning 'to move in a curved way' or 'to rise and fall'. That is why things 'wave' when they move up and down, like flags, grass, or smoke.