Wave (w v)n. A member of the women's reserve of the U.S. Navy, organized during World War II, but now no longer a separate branch. [From W(omen) A(ccepted for) V(olunteer) E(mergency Service).] |
| wave (wv) v. waved, wav·ing, waves v.intr. 1. To move freely back and forth or up and down in the air, as branches in the wind. 2. To make a signal with an up-and-down or back-and-forth movement of the hand or an object held in the hand: waved as she drove by. 3. To have an undulating or wavy form; curve or curl: Her hair waves naturally. v.tr. 1. To cause to move back and forth or up and down, either once or repeatedly: She waved a fan before her face. 2. a. To move or swing as in giving a signal: He waved his hand. See Synonyms at flourish. b. To signal or express by waving the hand or an object held in the hand: We waved goodbye. c. To signal (a person) to move in a specified direction: The police officer waved the motorist into the right lane. 3. To arrange into curves, curls, or undulations: wave one's hair. n. Phrasal Verb: 1. a. A ridge or swell moving through or along the surface of a large body of water. b. A small ridge or swell moving across the interface of two fluids and dependent on surface tension. 2. The sea. Often used in the plural: vanished beneath the waves. 3. Something that suggests the form and motion of a wave in the sea, especially: a. A moving curve or succession of curves in or on a surface; an undulation: waves of wheat in the wind. b. A curve or succession of curves, as in the hair. c. A curved shape, outline, or pattern. 4. A movement up and down or back and forth: a wave of the hand. 5. a. A surge or rush, as of sensation: a wave of nausea; a wave of indignation. b. A sudden great rise, as in activity or intensity: a wave of panic selling on the stock market. c. A rising trend that involves large numbers of individuals: a wave of conservatism. d. One of a succession of mass movements: the first wave of settlers. e. A maneuver in which fans at a sports event simulate an ocean wave by rising quickly in sequence with arms upraised and then quickly sitting down again in a continuous rolling motion. 6. A widespread, persistent meteorological condition, especially of temperature: a heat wave. 7. Physics a. 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. b. A graphic representation of the variation of such a disturbance with time. c. A single cycle of such a disturbance. wave off 1. To dismiss or refuse by waving the hand or arm: waved off his invitation to join the group. 2. Sports To cancel or nullify by waving the arms, usually from a crossed position: waved off the goal because time had run out. [Middle English waven, from Old English wafian; see webh- in Indo-European roots.] wav  er n. |
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