wave
verb/weɪv/
/weɪv/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they wave | /weɪv/ /weɪv/ |
| he / she / it waves | /weɪvz/ /weɪvz/ |
| past simple waved | /weɪvd/ /weɪvd/ |
| past participle waved | /weɪvd/ /weɪvd/ |
| -ing form waving | /ˈweɪvɪŋ/ /ˈweɪvɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to move your hand or arm from side to side in the air in order to attract attention, say hello, etc.
- The people on the bus waved and we waved back.
- wave at/to somebody Why did you wave at him?
- He waved to the crowd as they greeted him.
- wave something The driver leaped out, waving his fist and swearing.
- wave something about/around A man in the water was shouting and waving his arms around frantically.
- wave something at somebody She waved her hand dismissively at the housekeeper.
- wave somebody something My mother was crying as I waved her goodbye.
- wave something to somebody My mother was crying as I waved goodbye to her.
Extra Examples- He turned to wave to his mother.
- He waved a hand at her to shut her up.
- He waved a hand vaguely in the air.
- She waved cheerfully and he waved back.
- She smiled and waved slightly.
- They stood by the side of the road and waved frantically.
- They waved to us as we passed.
- We waved at the people on the shore.
- people waving goodbye to their friends and relatives
- He was waving at us from the other platform.
- She waved cheerfully as she set off.
- Wave goodbye to Daddy.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gently
- vigorously
- cheerfully
- …
- turn and
- turn to
- at
- to
- wave (somebody) goodbye
- [intransitive, transitive] to show where something is, show somebody where to go, etc. by moving your hand in a particular direction
- wave + adv./prep. She waved vaguely in the direction of the house.
- wave somebody/something + adv./prep. ‘He's over there,’ said Ali, waving a hand towards some trees.
- I showed my pass to the security guard and he waved me through.
- She waved me away impatiently.
Extra Examples- The guards waved us on.
- She waved him to a seat.
- I tried to approach, but he waved me away.
- The referee waved play on.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gently
- vigorously
- cheerfully
- …
- turn and
- turn to
- at
- to
- wave (somebody) goodbye
- [transitive] to hold something in your hand and move it from side to side
- wave something Crowds lined the route, waving flags and cheering.
- to wave banners/placards/signs
- wave something + adv./prep. ‘I'm rich!’ she exclaimed, waving the money under his nose.
- The officer started waving his gun at the crowd.
- [intransitive] to move freely and gently, for example in the wind, while one end or side is held in position
- The flag waved in the breeze.
- The protesters marched past, their banners waving.
- The dog's tail waved gently.
Extra Examples- Clean white sheets waved and billowed on the line.
- reeds waving gently in the breeze
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gently
- vigorously
- cheerfully
- …
- turn and
- turn to
- at
- to
- wave (somebody) goodbye
- [intransitive] to be slightly curly
- His hair waves naturally.
- [transitive] wave something to make somebody’s hair slightly curly
- She's had her hair waved.
move hand/arm
move freely
hair
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 Englishfly/show/wave the flag
- to show your support for your country, an organization or an idea to encourage or persuade others to do the same
like waving a red flag in front of a bull (North American English)
(British English a red rag to a bull)
- used to talk about something that is likely to make somebody very angry
Check pronunciation:
wave