# wave

/ˈweɪv/ (US) · /wˈeɪv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wave
Updated: 2026-07-22

## Senses

### 1. water movement

noun · CEFR A2

a raised line of water that moves across the surface of the sea or a lake.

For teachers: a moving disturbance or undulation in the surface level of a body of liquid.

- The children spent the afternoon jumping over the small waves at the beach.
- The storm generated massive waves that crashed against the harbor wall, sending spray high into the air and threatening the coastal road.

### 2. hand gesture

noun · CEFR A2

a movement of your hand from side to side to say hello or goodbye.

For teachers: a gesture made by moving the hand back and forth, typically as a greeting, farewell, or signal.

- She gave a friendly wave to her neighbor as she drove past his house.
- He offered a final, lingering wave from the train window as it slowly pulled away from the platform.

### 3. sudden increase

noun · CEFR B1

a sudden increase in a particular feeling, activity, or type of weather.

For teachers: a sudden, temporary increase or surge in a phenomenon, emotion, or trend.

- A sudden wave of panic hit him when he realized he had lost his passport.
- The country is currently experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures remaining well above the seasonal average for the third consecutive week.

### 4. physics/energy

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

the way that light, sound, or radio signals travel.

For teachers: a periodic disturbance in the energy level of a field or medium, such as sound or electromagnetic radiation.

- Radio waves allow us to transmit music and news over long distances.
- Physicists study how light behaves both as a particle and as a wave depending on the experimental conditions.

### 5. to signal with the hand

verb · CEFR A2

to move your hand from side to side to get someone's attention or say goodbye.

For teachers: to move the hand to and fro in greeting or as a signal; functions as both a transitive and intransitive verb.

- Wave goodbye to your grandmother before we get in the car.
- The traffic officer waved the waiting cars through the intersection once the pedestrians had safely reached the pavement.

### 6. to move in the wind

verb · CEFR B1

to move back and forth in the air or wind.

For teachers: to move freely to and fro, especially while attached at one end.

- The national flags were waving proudly in the breeze outside the stadium.
- Tall grass waved rhythmically across the fields as the summer storm approached from the west.

## Examples

- The surfers waited for a big wave to come.
- A sudden wave of heat hit the city, causing many people to stay indoors during the afternoon.
- Physicists describe light as both a particle and a wave, a dual nature that explains how it can travel through a vacuum while also interfering with other light sources.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.