Waves

or WAVES

[ weyvz ]

/ weɪvz /

noun (used with a singular or plural verb)

the Women's Reserve of the U.S. Naval Reserve, the distinct force of women enlistees in the U.S. Navy, organized during World War II.

Origin of Waves

1942; W(omen) A(ccepted for) V(olunteer) E(mergency) S(ervice)

Words nearby Waves

wavellite, wavemeter, waveoff, waver, waverley, Waves, wavey, wavy, waw, wawa, wawl

Definition for waves (2 of 3)

wave

[ weyv ]

/ weɪv /

noun

a disturbance on the surface of a liquid body, as the sea or a lake, in the form of a moving ridge or swell.

any surging or progressing movement or part resembling a wave of the sea: a wave of the pulse.

a swell, surge, or rush, as of feeling or of a certain condition: a wave of disgust sweeping over a person; a wave of cholera throughout the country.

a widespread feeling, opinion, tendency, etc.: a wave of anti-intellectualism; the new wave of installment buying.

a mass movement, as of troops, settlers, or migrating birds.

an outward curve, or one of a series of such curves, in a surface or line; undulation.

an act or instance of waving.

a fluttering sign or signal made with the hand, a flag, etc.: a farewell wave.

natural waviness of the hair, or a special treatment to impart waviness: to have a wave in one's hair; to get a shampoo and a wave.

a period or spell of unusually hot or cold weather.

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.

Literary.

water.
a body of water.
the sea.

(at sports events, especially baseball games) a momentary standing and sitting back down by spectators in a sequential, lateral way to create, en masse, a wavelike effect visually.

verb (used without object), waved, wav·ing.

to move freely and gently back and forth or up and down, as by the action of air currents, sea swells, etc.: The flags were waving in the wind.

to curve alternately in opposite directions; have an undulating form: The road waved along the valley.

to bend or sway up and down or to and fro, as branches or plants in the wind.

to be moved, especially alternately in opposite directions: The woman's handkerchief waved in encouragement.

to give a signal by fluttering or flapping something: She waved to me with her hand.

verb (used with object), waved, wav·ing.

to cause to flutter or have a waving motion in: A night wind waves the tattered banners.

to cause to bend or sway up and down or to and fro: The storm waved the heavy branches of the elm.

to give an undulating form to; cause to curve up and down or in and out.

to give a wavy appearance or pattern to, as silk.

to impart a wave to (the hair).

to move, especially alternately in opposite directions: to wave the hand.

to signal to by waving a flag or the like; direct by a waving movement: to wave a train to a halt; to wave traffic around an obstacle.

to signify or express by a waving movement: to wave a last goodbye.

Origin of wave

1325–75; Middle English waven (v.), Old English wafian to wave the hands; cognate with Middle High German waben; cf. waver¹

SYNONYMS FOR wave

1 undulation, whitecap. Wave, ripple, breaker, surf refer to a ridge or swell on the surface of water. Wave is the general word: waves in a high wind. A ripple is the smallest kind of wave, such as is caused by a stone thrown into a pool: ripples in a brook. A breaker is a wave breaking, or about to break, upon the shore or upon rocks: the roar of breakers. Surf is the collective name for breakers: Heavy surf makes bathing dangerous.

14 undulate, flutter, float, sway, rock; fluctuate.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wave ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM wave

wave·less, adjective wave·less·ly, adverb wav·ing·ly, adverb wave·like, adjective

out·wave, verb (used with object), out·waved, out·wav·ing. un·der·wave, noun un·der·wav·ing, noun un·wav·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wave

waive wave

Definition for waves (3 of 3)

Wave

or WAVE

[ weyv ]

/ weɪv /

noun

a member of the Waves.

Origin of Wave

First recorded in 1942; see origin at Waves

Example sentences from the Web for waves

Piketty only waves his hands around the all-important question of whether economic inequality undermines democracy.

American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years |Jedediah Purdy |December 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
As Democrats mutter privately that their Senate majority is sinking beneath the waves, their leadership has sent out an SOS.

The Only Way for Democrats to Win |Jonathan Alter |October 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The seas are calm, no waves violently knocking the hull, as they inevitably will during long stretches of the race.

Inside Sailing’s Biggest Race |Lizzie Crocker |October 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The heat creates mirages with waves that ripple through the air.

Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq |Nathan Bradley Bethea |August 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Late in the afternoon of April 26, 1937 waves of bombers obliterated the ancient capital of Basque Spain, Guernica.

Life Under Air Strikes: Children Under Fire Will Never Forget — or Forgive |Clive Irving |August 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Here, on a narrow strip of sand, he undressed and leaped into the waves.

Deep Down, a Tale of the Cornish Mines |R.M. Ballantyne
Paul was awoke after some time by the roaring sound of the waves dashing against the shore.

Paul Gerrard |W.H.G. Kingston
The race ends when the flag returns to the leader, who waves the same above his head, indicating the close of the race.

School, Church, and Home Games |George O. Draper
The sea was dotted with men battling for life amidst the waves.

The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 3 (of 10) |James Edward Parrott
In sudden climax the motion of the waves fills all the brass in triumphant paean, in the gleam of high noon.

Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies |Philip H. Goepp

British Dictionary definitions for waves (1 of 2)

WAVES

Waves

/ (weɪvz) /

n acronym for (in the US)

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service; the women's reserve of the US navy

British Dictionary definitions for waves (2 of 2)

wave

/ (weɪv) /

verb

to move or cause to move freely to and fro the banner waved in the wind

(intr) to move the hand to and fro as a greeting

to signal or signify by or as if by waving something

(tr) to direct to move by or as if by waving something he waved me on

to form or be formed into curves, undulations, etc

(tr) to give a wavy or watered appearance to (silk, etc)

(tr) to set waves in (the hair)

noun

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 gravity

any undulation on or at the edge of a surface reminiscent of such a wave a wave across the field of corn

the waves the sea

anything that suggests the movement of a wave, as by a sudden rise a crime wave

a widespread movement that advances in a body a wave of settlers swept into the country

the act or an instance of waving

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 wave

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

a prolonged spell of some weather condition a heat wave

an undulating curve or series of curves or loose curls in the hair

an undulating pattern or finish on a fabric

short for wave moth

make waves to cause trouble; disturb the status quo

ride the wave US slang to enjoy a period of success and good fortune

Derived forms of wave

waveless, adjective wavelike, adjective

Word Origin for wave

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 wag 1

Medical definitions for waves

wave

[ wāv ]

n.

A disturbance traveling through a medium by which energy is transferred from one particle of the medium to another without causing any permanent displacement of the medium itself.

A graphic representation of the variation of such a disturbance with time.

A single cycle that is representative of such a disturbance.

Scientific definitions for waves

wave

[ wāv ]

A disturbance, oscillation, or vibration, either of a medium and moving through that medium (such as water and sound waves), or of some quantity with different values at different points in space, moving through space (such as electromagnetic waves or a quantum mechanical wave described by the wave function). See also longitudinal wave transverse wave wave function. See Note at refraction.

Cultural definitions for waves

wave

In physics, any regularly recurring event, such as surf coming in toward a beach, that can be thought of as a disturbance moving through a medium. Waves are characterized by wavelength, frequency, and the speed at which they move. Waves are found in many forms.

notes for wave

The motion of a wave and the motion of the medium on which the wave moves are not the same: ocean waves, for example, move toward the beach, but the water itself merely moves up and down. Sound waves are spread by alternating compression and expansion of air.

Idioms and Phrases with waves

wave

see make waves.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

Waves

or WAVES

noun (used with a singular or plural verb)

Origin of Waves

Words nearby Waves

Definition for waves (2 of 3)

noun

verb (used without object), waved, wav·ing.

verb (used with object), waved, wav·ing.

Origin of wave

SYNONYMS FOR wave

OTHER WORDS FROM wave

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wave

Definition for waves (3 of 3)

or WAVE

noun

Origin of Wave

Example sentences from the Web for waves

British Dictionary definitions for waves (1 of 2)

Waves

n acronym for (in the US)

British Dictionary definitions for waves (2 of 2)

verb

noun

Derived forms of wave

Word Origin for wave

Medical definitions for waves

n.

Scientific definitions for waves

Cultural definitions for waves

notes for wave

Idioms and Phrases with waves

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

Waves

or WAVES

noun (used with a singular or plural verb)

Origin of Waves

Words nearby Waves

Definition for waves (2 of 3)

noun

verb (used without object), waved, wav·ing.

verb (used with object), waved, wav·ing.

Origin of wave

SYNONYMS FOR wave

OTHER WORDS FROM wave

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wave

Definition for waves (3 of 3)

or WAVE

noun

Origin of Wave

Words related to waves

Example sentences from the Web for waves

British Dictionary definitions for waves (1 of 2)

Waves

n acronym for (in the US)

British Dictionary definitions for waves (2 of 2)

verb

noun

Derived forms of wave

Word Origin for wave

Medical definitions for waves

n.

Scientific definitions for waves

Cultural definitions for waves

notes for wave

Idioms and Phrases with waves