verb | noun
wavewave1 /weɪv/ ●●● S2 W2 verb 1
HAND [intransitive, transitive] to move your hand or arm from side to side in order to greet someone or attract his or her attention: Nick was waving from the upstairs window.wave to/at Who are you waving at?wave goodbye (to somebody) (=say goodbye to someone by waving to them)2MAKE something MOVE [transitive] to move your hands, arms, or something that you are holding, from side to side: The fans chanted and waved Brazilian flags.wave something under/in/at etc. somebody/something “Get out of here!” he shouted, waving his gun at us. She waved her hands around as she talked.3SIGNAL [transitive always + adv./prep.] to show someone where to go by waving your hand in that direction: wave somebody through/on/away etc. The border guards waved us through.4MOVE SMOOTHLY [intransitive] to move smoothly up and down, or from side to side: The flag waved proudly in the breeze.5HAIR a)[intransitive] if hair waves, it grows in loose curls b)[transitive] to style hair or put chemicals on it so that it forms loose curls6wave goodbye to something informal to be forced to accept that something you want will not happen: Well, we can wave goodbye to first place now.7be like waving a red flag in front of a bull used to say that doing or saying something will definitely make someone angrywave something ↔ aside/away phrasal verb to refuse to pay attention to an idea, a question, help, etc. because you do not think it is necessary or important, especially by waving your hand: He waved the suggestion away dismissively.wave somebody/something ↔ down phrasal verb to signal to the driver of a car to stop by waving your arm at themwave off phrasal verb1: wave somebody ↔ off to tell someone to go away by waving your hand: Myrtle closed her eyes and waved us off.2wave something ↔ off to refuse to pay attention to an idea, a question, help, etc. because you do not think it is necessary or important, especially by waving your hand: Pamela quickly waved off the criticism.3wave somebody ↔ off to wave goodbye to someone as he or she leaves verb | noun
wavewave2 ●●● S3 W3 noun 1ON THE OCEAN [countable] earth science a line of raised water that moves across the surface of the ocean: Ten-foot waves crashed against the shore. A huge wave broke over me (=it curled and started to fall). Surfers rode the waves to the shore.2INCREASE [countable] a sudden increase in a particular type of behavior, activity, or feeling: wave of A wave of panic spread through the crowd. A crime wave has been sweeping the city.in waves The pain swept over him in waves.3PEOPLE/THINGS [countable] a large number of people or things arriving somewhere at the same time: wave of A new wave of immigrants has entered the country. Wave after wave of aircraft passed overhead.in waves Crowds of tourists kept coming in waves.4HAND MOVEMENT [countable usually singular] a movement of your hand or arm from side to side: She gave a friendly wave. Leona dismissed the servants with a wave of the hand.5SOLDIERS [countable] a group of soldiers, aircraft, etc. that attack together: wave of At 6:00, the first wave of bombers were sent out from the carrier.6LIGHT/SOUND [countable] science, physics a movement in space or through air, water, etc. which carries energy such as light and sound from one place to another: light/sound/radio waves Light waves reflect and refract off a surface. → see also long wave, medium wave, shortwave7HAIR [countable] a part of your hair that curls slightly8the wave of the future something modern that is expected to replace something else or an old way of doing something9make waves informal a)to cause problems: With his job at risk, he didn’t want to make waves. b)to do things that make people notice you10CROWD the wave a situation in which people in a large group, especially at sports events, stand up and sit down quickly one after another so that it looks as if a wave is moving across the group11OCEAN the waves [plural] literary the ocean[Origin: Old English wafian to wave with the hands] → see also heat wave, shock waveCOLLOCATIONS– Meaning 2adjectives/nouns + wavea crime wave (=a sudden increase in crime) Police are trying to deal with a crime wave that has swept the city.a heat wave (=a period of unusually hot weather) California is in the middle of a heat wave.a new/fresh wave of something A new wave of fighting erupted in the region yesterday.a second wave After gaining the right to vote in 1920, the second wave of U.S. feminism began in the 1960s.verbsa wave hits somebody/something He was hit by a wave of nausea every time he tried to stand up.a wave sweeps/washes over somebody (=someone suddenly experiences a feeling or emotion) A sudden wave of joy swept over her.a wave engulfs somebody/something (=it affects someone or something very strongly) The city was engulfed by a fresh wave of violence.spark/trigger a wave of something (=cause it) Local leaders worry that the court decision could trigger a new wave of protests.ride a wave (=use an increase of something to your advantage) The governor is riding the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment among voters.