Waves are all around us. We see them in the ocean, feel them in the wind, and even hear about them in songs. But did you know people also talk about waves when they are not near water? In everyday talking, people sometimes use “waves” to explain how things change, move, or happen again and again. These special phrases are called idioms. They don’t mean just water moving back and forth. They can mean feelings, actions, or big events.
Idioms about waves help us talk about ups and downs in life. When something keeps happening or spreads quickly, people may use wave idioms to describe it. You might hear these phrases in school, at home, or on TV. Once you learn them, they make speaking and writing more fun and easier to understand. Let’s find out more about these wave idioms and what they really mean.
Idioms about Waves
1. Make waves
Meaning: Cause a big change or problem
Give an Instance: Josh made waves by asking to change the class rules. / The new rule about snacks made waves at school.
Substitute Meaning: Stir things up / Cause trouble
2. A wave of panic
Meaning: A sudden strong feeling of fear
Give an Instance: A wave of panic hit me when I forgot my homework. / She felt a wave of panic before her speech.
Substitute Meaning: Sudden fear / Scared feeling
3. Ride the wave
Meaning: Go along with something that is going well
Give an Instance: He rode the wave of his good grades. / They rode the wave of success after their big win.
Substitute Meaning: Go with the flow / Enjoy the good time
4. On the crest of a wave
Meaning: Doing very well right now
Give an Instance: The team was on the crest of a wave after winning. / She felt on top of the world, like riding a big wave.
Substitute Meaning: At your best / Winning moment
5. A wave of laughter
Meaning: Many people laughing at once
Give an Instance: A wave of laughter went through the room after his joke. / The movie made a wave of laughter.
Substitute Meaning: Lots of laughing / Giggles spread
6. A new wave
Meaning: A fresh group or idea
Give an Instance: The new wave of students started today. / A new wave of music is getting popular.
Substitute Meaning: Fresh start / New trend
7. A wave of relief
Meaning: A strong feeling of calm after being worried
Give an Instance: I felt a wave of relief when I found my phone. / A wave of relief came after the test was done.
Substitute Meaning: Big sigh / Feeling better
8. A wave of emotion
Meaning: Feeling something very strongly
Give an Instance: A wave of emotion hit her when she saw her old dog. / He felt a wave of emotion during the sad part of the book.
Substitute Meaning: Strong feeling / Overwhelmed
9. Make a splash
Meaning: Get a lot of attention
Give an Instance: Her bright costume made a splash at the party. / The new student made a splash with her fun ideas.
Substitute Meaning: Stand out / Be noticed
10. In waves
Meaning: Happening again and again
Give an Instance: The kids came into the room in waves. / The pain came in waves during her headache.
Substitute Meaning: Over and over / Repeating
11. Wave goodbye
Meaning: Say goodbye with your hand or leave something behind
Give an Instance: She waved goodbye to her mom. / We waved goodbye to summer break.
Substitute Meaning: Say farewell / Leave behind
12. Make a wave
Meaning: Start something big
Give an Instance: His idea made a wave of new thinking. / She made a wave by starting a new club.
Substitute Meaning: Begin a trend / Start something big
13. A wave of heat
Meaning: A big blast of hot air or feeling hot
Give an Instance: A wave of heat hit when we opened the oven. / It felt like a wave of heat on the playground.
Substitute Meaning: Hot air / Heat rush
14. A wave of energy
Meaning: A sudden strong feeling of power or excitement
Give an Instance: She felt a wave of energy after breakfast. / The music gave them a wave of energy.
Substitute Meaning: Burst of power / Quick strength
15. A wave of noise
Meaning: A loud sound coming at once
Give an Instance: A wave of noise came from the lunchroom. / The fans cheered in a wave of noise.
Substitute Meaning: Loud burst / Sound rush
16. Wave of change
Meaning: Many new things happening
Give an Instance: A wave of change came to the school this year. / There’s a wave of change in how kids learn now.
Substitute Meaning: New ways / Big shifts
17. A tidal wave of…
Meaning: A very large amount of something
Give an Instance: A tidal wave of homework hit me this week. / She faced a tidal wave of feelings after moving.
Substitute Meaning: Big bunch / Huge amount
18. Catch the wave
Meaning: Join something good at the right time
Give an Instance: She caught the wave of the dance trend. / They caught the wave of the game that everyone played.
Substitute Meaning: Join in / Hop on
19. Wave off
Meaning: Say no to something
Give an Instance: He waved off the help. / She waved off the chance to go first.
Substitute Meaning: Refuse / Say no
20. Surf the wave
Meaning: Handle a big change or success
Give an Instance: She surfed the wave of her sudden fame. / He surfed the wave of the team’s big win.
Substitute Meaning: Go along well / Handle the moment
21. Wave of anger
Meaning: A sudden strong feeling of anger
Give an Instance: A wave of anger came when he saw the mess. / She felt a wave of anger at being blamed.
Substitute Meaning: Quick temper / Sudden mad feeling
22. Wave of joy
Meaning: A strong happy feeling
Give an Instance: A wave of joy came when the team won. / She felt a wave of joy on her birthday.
Substitute Meaning: Burst of happiness / Happy rush
23. Wavy path
Meaning: A journey with ups and downs
Give an Instance: Learning to skate was a wavy path. / Their trip to the park had a wavy path of surprises.
Substitute Meaning: Not smooth / With turns
24. Big wave
Meaning: A big event or emotion
Give an Instance: A big wave of fun hit the party. / A big wave of tears came after the sad part.
Substitute Meaning: Huge moment / Strong burst
25. First wave
Meaning: The first group or first time something happens
Give an Instance: The first wave of kids went to lunch. / The first wave of players entered the game.
Substitute Meaning: First group / Early part
26. Second wave
Meaning: The next group or next round
Give an Instance: The second wave of kids started the test. / A second wave of rain hit the field.
Substitute Meaning: Next round / New group
27. Send waves
Meaning: Cause strong reactions
Give an Instance: Her speech sent waves through the school. / The surprise rule change sent waves through the class.
Substitute Meaning: Cause reactions / Make an impact
28. Feel the wave
Meaning: Notice a strong change or feeling
Give an Instance: He felt the wave of fear before the game. / I felt the wave of calm when I saw my dog.
Substitute Meaning: Sense the moment / Feel deeply
29. A wave of tears
Meaning: Crying a lot suddenly
Give an Instance: A wave of tears came after the sad news. / She burst into a wave of tears after falling.
Substitute Meaning: Lots of crying / Big cry
30. A gentle wave
Meaning: A soft or slow feeling or event
Give an Instance: A gentle wave of kindness spread in class. / The breeze felt like a gentle wave.
Substitute Meaning: Soft feeling / Calm moment
31. Wavy ride
Meaning: A time with many ups and downs
Give an Instance: This week has been a wavy ride. / Their group project was a wavy ride from start to end.
Substitute Meaning: Bumpy time / Lots of change
32. Calm before the wave
Meaning: A quiet time before something big happens
Give an Instance: The classroom was quiet, the calm before the wave of noise at lunch. / It felt like calm before the wave before the game started.
Substitute Meaning: Quiet moment / Peace before action
33. Hit by a wave
Meaning: Overcome by a feeling or problem
Give an Instance: I was hit by a wave of sleepiness. / She got hit by a wave of guilt.
Substitute Meaning: Felt it hard / Sudden feeling
34. Giant wave
Meaning: A huge event or feeling
Give an Instance: A giant wave of fun swept through the fair. / He faced a giant wave of work.
Substitute Meaning: Really big / Massive
35. Emotional wave
Meaning: Feeling lots of emotions at once
Give an Instance: She rode an emotional wave during the play. / He felt an emotional wave after the win.
Substitute Meaning: Many feelings / Mood mix
36. Smooth wave
Meaning: Easy and calm time
Give an Instance: The test day went like a smooth wave. / The game was like a smooth wave with no trouble.
Substitute Meaning: Easy time / No problems
37. Silent wave
Meaning: A quiet but strong feeling or event
Give an Instance: A silent wave of sadness filled the room. / The sunset brought a silent wave of peace.
Substitute Meaning: Quiet but big / Calm power
38. Push a wave
Meaning: Start something moving
Give an Instance: Her smile pushed a wave of kindness. / He pushed a wave of change with his idea.
Substitute Meaning: Start something big / Begin action
39. Wave of hope
Meaning: A strong feeling of good things to come
Give an Instance: A wave of hope came when the sun came out. / We felt a wave of hope when help arrived.
Substitute Meaning: Good feeling / Hopeful thought
40. Over the wave
Meaning: Past the hard part
Give an Instance: After studying, I felt over the wave. / Once we started working together, we were over the wave.
Substitute Meaning: Past trouble / Done with it
41. Beyond the wave
Meaning: Looking ahead after something big
Give an Instance: Beyond the wave of worry, she found peace. / Beyond the wave of noise, the room was calm.
Substitute Meaning: Afterward / Looking past
42. A wave of questions
Meaning: Many questions at once
Give an Instance: The class had a wave of questions after the lesson. / She asked a wave of questions about the new game.
Substitute Meaning: Lots of questions / Curious crowd
43. Unstoppable wave
Meaning: Something big and strong you can’t stop
Give an Instance: The students’ energy was like an unstoppable wave. / Their team was an unstoppable wave in the contest.
Substitute Meaning: Very strong / Hard to stop
44. Jump the wave
Meaning: Take a chance quickly
Give an Instance: He jumped the wave to be the first to speak. / She jumped the wave and signed up early.
Substitute Meaning: Go first / Take a shot
45. Wake of the wave
Meaning: What happens after a big event
Give an Instance: In the wake of the wave, the class was quiet. / After the wave of fun, came cleanup time.
Substitute Meaning: Aftermath / What follows
Find the Idioms About Waves
Reading Passage
It was the day of the school field trip to the beach. The bus was packed, and a wave of excitement filled the air. As they arrived, a wave of heat hit the students when the doors opened. They rushed out, ready for fun.
Mia and Jason ran to the water. A gentle wave rolled in and splashed their feet. Just then, their teacher called them back, and a wave of disappointment spread through the group. “We’ll start with lunch first,” she said.
Later, they played games. Jason’s joke made a wave of laughter spread across the sand. Mia saw the new student sitting alone. She smiled and waved. That small act started a wave of kindness. Other kids joined, and soon he was laughing too.
Before leaving, they sat quietly, watching the ocean. A wave of calm settled over them. On the ride back, some felt sleepy. A few were even hit by a wave of tiredness.
Directions for Students
Read the story again. Underline or list all the “idioms about waves” used in the passage.
Answer Key
- Wave of excitement
- Wave of heat
- Gentle wave
- Wave of disappointment
- Wave of laughter
- Wave of kindness
- Wave of calm
- Wave of tiredness
Conclusion
Idioms about waves help us describe big feelings, changes, and events in a fun way. They are not really about the ocean, but they help us talk about life in clear, simple words. Learning these expressions can make talking and writing more interesting.
You might hear them at school, on TV, or when reading a story. Once you know what they mean, they’re easy to understand. Try using a few of these idioms in your own writing you’ll see how much more alive your words can sound.
