- [countable] a raised line of water that moves across the surface of the sea, ocean, etc.
- Huge waves were breaking on the shore.
- Surfers flocked to the beach to ride the waves.
- the gentle sound of waves lapping
- The wind made little waves on the pond.
- in the waves Children were playing in the waves.
- on the waves Seagulls bobbed on the waves.
Extra Examples- All you could hear was the lapping of the waves.
- He swam headlong into the oncoming wave.
- I could hear the waves crash against the rocks.
- She loved surfing the giant waves of the sea.
- The waves hit the rocks with huge energy.
- There were seagulls bobbing on the waves.
- These boats aren't strong enough to withstand rogue waves.
- We watched the waves breaking on the shore.
- the gentle sound of waves lapping the sand
- the roar of ocean waves
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- enormous
- giant
- …
- ride
- surf
- catch
- …
- rise
- break
- fall
- …
- energy
- power
- in the waves
- on the waves
- the crash of the waves
- the crashing of the waves
- the lap of the waves
- …
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- [countable] the form that some types of energy such as heat, sound, light, etc. take as they move
- electromagnetic/gravity/ultrasonic waves
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- acoustic
- electromagnetic
- gravitational
- …
- emit
- generate
- deflect
- …
- travel
- bounce off something
- [countable] a movement of your arm and hand from side to side
- with a wave She declined the offer with a wave of her hand.
- With a wave and a shout he ran down the road to meet us.
- He gave us a wave as the bus drove off.
- She managed a wave to her disappointed supporters as she left.
Extra Examples- He dismissed her thanks with a quick wave of the hand.
- I returned his wave and started to walk towards him.
- She gave a dismissive wave of her hand.
- He gave a wave as the bus moved off.
- She sent him away with a wave of her hand.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- quick
- little
- slight
- …
- give (somebody)
- return
- with a wave
- wave of
- the wave[singular] (North American English)(British English Mexican wave [countable])a continuous movement that looks like a wave on the sea, made by a large group of people, especially people watching a sports game, when one person after another stands up, raises their arms, and then sits down again
- [countable] a sudden increase in a particular activity or feeling
- wave of something Insurgents launched a wave of attacks against the security forces.
- Wave after wave of attacks rocked the city.
- a wave of protests/strikes/scandals
- a wave of violence/unrest
- There has been a new wave of bombings since the peace talks broke down.
- A wave of fear swept over him.
- A wave of panic spread through the crowd.
- in waves Guilt and horror flooded her in waves.
- in a wave Exhaustion hit him in a wave.
- Three hundred employees lost their jobs in the latest wave of redundancies.
Extra Examples- A wave of relief washed over him as he saw that the children were safe.
- Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.
- How do we catch the next great wave of innovation?
- I feel a wave of panic flow through me.
- The attack unleashed a wave of terror in the city.
- The news sent a wave of relief through the crowd.
- This tendency has generated a new wave of company mergers.
- With the fall of the Bastille in 1789, a wave of euphoria swept Europe.
- swept along on a wave of critical acclaim
- the current wave of business scandals
- A wave of violence swept the country.
- I experienced a huge wave of emotion when I saw her.
- Suddenly a wave of guilt washed over her.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- enormous
- great
- …
- send
- cause
- create
- …
- sweep something
- sweep over something
- wash over somebody/something
- …
- wave of
- on a wave
- [countable] a large number of things or people suddenly appearing or arriving somewhere
- Wave after wave of aircraft passed overhead.
- The war generated waves of refugees.
Extra Examples- We saw a wave of tanks coming over the horizon.
- The article drove waves of traffic to their website.
- New waves of displaced people began arriving.
- Wave after wave of soldiers rushed the perimeter.
- a wave of immigration in the 1950s
- [countable] if a person’s hair has a wave or waves, it is not straight but slightly curly see also permanent waveTopics Appearancec1
- the waves[plural] (literary) the sea
- life on the waves (= life at sea)
see also wavy
of water
of heat/sound/light
movement of arm/hand/body
of activity/feeling
large number
in hair
sea
Word OriginOld English wafian (verb), from the Germanic base of waver; the noun by alteration (influenced by the verb) of Middle English wawe ‘(sea) wave’.
Idioms
See wave in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee wave in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishthe crest of a/the wave
- a situation in which somebody is very successful, happy, etc.
- They’ve been on the crest of the wave ever since their election victory.
- She is on the crest of a wave at the moment following her Olympic success.
- They are riding the crest of the wave at the moment.
make waves
- (informal) to be very active in a way that makes people notice you, and that may sometimes cause problems
ride a/the wave of something
- to enjoy or be supported by the particular situation or quality mentioned
- Schools are riding a wave of renewed public interest.
Check pronunciation:
wave