wave off

wave

W0010900 (wāv)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) by using the hand 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.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. often waves The sea: 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 that travels through a medium. Energy is transferred by a wave from one region of the medium to another without causing any permanent displacement of the medium.b. A graphic representation of the variation of such a disturbance with time.c. A single cycle of a periodic wave.Phrasal Verb: wave off1. 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.

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[Middle English waven, from Old English wafian; see webh- in Indo-European roots.]

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wav′er n.

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Wave

W0010900 (wāv)n. A member of the women's reserve of the US Navy, organized during World War II, but now no longer a separate branch.

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[From W(omen) A(ccepted for) V(olunteer) E(mergency Service).]

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

wave off - dismiss as insignificant; "He waved off suggestions of impropriety"background, play down, downplay - understate the importance or quality of; "he played down his royal ancestry"