From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishWaveWave noun American English infml a woman who is a member of a US navy volunteer1 groupwavewave1 /weɪv/ ●●● S3 W2 noun 1 sea [countable]HEO a line of raised water that moves across the surface of the sea Dee watched the waves breaking on the shore. The ship tipped over, and finally vanished beneath the waves. → tidal wave2 increase [countable usually singular]LOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNT a sudden increase in a particular type of behaviour, activity, or feeling There was a wave of public protest.3 people and things [countable] a sudden increase in the number of people or things arriving at the same timewave of a new wave of immigrants They faced wave after wave of fresh troops.4 light and sound [countable]TPHP the form in which some types of energy such as light and sound travelsound/light/radio wave → long wave, medium wave, short wave5 signal [countable usually singular]SIGN/GESTURE a movement in which you raise your arm and move your hand from side to side He dismissed her with a wave of the hand.6 feeling/activityREGULAR [countable] a feeling or activity that happens again and again in a series The pain swept over him in waves. Wave after wave of aircraft passed overhead.7 hair [countable usually plural]DCB a loose curl in your hair 8 → make waves9 → new wave10 crowd [countable usually singular] American English an occasion when many people who are watching an event stand up, move their arms up and down, and sit down again one after another in a continuous movement that looks like a wave moving on the sea SYN Mexican wave British English11 → the waves → airwaves, shock waveCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a line of raised water that moves across the surface of the seaverbswaves break (=fall onto the land or a boat)We could hear the waves breaking on the shore.waves crash (=fall noisily)Huge waves crashed down on us.waves lap (=hit something gently)the sound of waves lapping against the boatwaves pound (=hit something hard)The waves pounded the rocks.sink/vanish beneath the wavesThe ship sank beneath the waves.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + wave a great wave (=a very large wave)The storm sent great waves crashing into the cliffs.a tidal wave (=a very large ocean wave that flows over the land and destroys things)The winds and a tidal wave killed 45 people.the ocean waves (=the sea)They spent a week on the ocean waves on a cruise ship.wave + NOUNwave energy/power (=electricity from the movement of waves)Wave power involves using the movement of the seas to generate electricity.phrasesthe crest of a wave (=the top of the wave where it begins to fall)Surfers rode on the crest of a wave. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a sudden increase in a particular type of behaviour, activity, or feelingphrasesa wave of violence/attacks/bombingsThe incident triggered a wave of violence.a wave of panic/relief/sympathyA wave of relief washed over Harry.a wave of nausea/dizziness/tirednessAnother wave of nausea hit him.NOUN + wavea crime wave (=a sudden increase in crime)The city is experiencing a crime wave.a heat wave (=a period of unusually hot weather)California is in the middle of a heat wave.verbsa wave hits somebody/somethingHe was hit by a wave of nausea every time he tried to stand up.a wave engulfs somebody/something (=it affects someone or something very strongly)The city was engulfed by a fresh wave of violence.a wave sweeps/washes over somebody (=someone suddenly experiences a feeling or emotion)A sudden wave of joy swept over her.adjectivesa great wave of somethingA great wave of affection for him engulfed her.a new/fresh wave of somethingA fresh wave of fighting erupted in the region yesterday. 
hand [intransitive, transitive]SIGN/GESTURE to raise your arm and move your hand from side to side in order to make someone notice youwave to/at She turned to wave to the approaching soldiers. Enid waved at us and we waved back.wave (somebody) goodbye (=say goodbye to someone by waving to them) The nurses came out to wave Grandad goodbye.2 move [intransitive, transitive]MOVE something OR somebody if you wave something, or if it waves, it moves from side to side The starter waved a green flag to indicate that the race would begin. a tree waving in the breeze He waved a hand in the air to attract her attention.wave something under/at etc somebody/something Trudie waved a $50 bill under his nose.wave something around/about The stranger spoke rapidly, waving his arms around.3 signal [transitive always + adverb/preposition]SIGN/GESTURE to show someone which way to go by waving your hand in that directionwave somebody through/on/away etc The border guards waved us through. Peter waved them back to their seats.4 → wave something goodbye/wave goodbye to something5 → wave a magic wand6 hair [intransitive, transitive]DCB if hair waves, or if it is waved, it forms loose curls → wave something ↔ aside → wave somebody/something ↔ down → wave somebody off→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
wave• The rapid delivery of the auctioneer is keyed to a wave or nod by those bidding on the animals.• Leona dismissed the servants with a wave of the hand.• The mayor has promised tough action in response to the city's rising crime wave.• As he approached it, the non-existent waves under his feet became clammy and smelt unpleasantly of chemicals.• Ten-foot waves crashed against the shore.• Soon, the craft was making its way through the darkness over twenty-foot waves and taking on water.• I gave him a friendly wave.• The country has been brought to a standstill by the latest wave of strikes.• Kelly's hair has a natural wave to it.• Security chiefs fear a new wave of terrorist bombings.• radio waves• The noise was pitched to a fury he located in the mind, a satisfying wave of rage and pain.• In addition, slow waves consistent with being asleep may occur during lapses in performance.• Economic fluctuations are unpredictable tidal waves.• Only your four top waves would count.wave after wave• Chamden performed like men possessed and even had the audacity to mount wave after wave of attacks.• Fog is rolling in from the sea, wave after wave of whiteness.• Fran gasped, her whole body stiffening as wave after wave of heat enveloped her.sound/light/radio wave• Radio waves are just one type. Radio waves are all around us.• The procedure employs sound waves to disintegrate kidney stones.• It is now something familiar to us-though still a very striking fact-that radio waves can actually carry energy!• The field theory progressed even more dramatically when, a few decades later, Hertz produced the radio waves predicted by the programme.• The radio waves may come not only from transmitters but power supplies, motors or other electrical devices.• These are similar to light waves, which are ripples of the electromagnetic field, but they are much harder to detect.• He also experimented with photography, and did significant early work with X-rays from 1896, and with radio waves from 1897.a wave of the hand• On other sites it is no more than an amused smile and a wave of the hand.• They imparted with a wave of the hand a sense of inevitability to the details of their stories.Wave after wave of• My arm dropped over the edge of the bed. Wave after wave of pain crashed over my body.wavewave2 ●●● S3 W3 verb 1 hand [intransitive, transitive]SIGN/GESTURE to raise your arm and move your hand from side to side in order to make someone notice youwave to/at She turned to wave to the approaching soldiers. Enid waved at us and we waved back.wave (somebody) goodbye (=say goodbye to someone by waving to them) The nurses came out to wave Grandad goodbye.2 move [intransitive, transitive]MOVE something OR somebody if you wave something, or if it waves, it moves from side to side The starter waved a green flag to indicate that the race would begin. a tree waving in the breeze He waved a hand in the air to attract her attention.wave something under/at etc somebody/something Trudie waved a $50 bill under his nose.wave something around/about The stranger spoke rapidly, waving his arms around.3 signal [transitive always + adverb/preposition]SIGN/GESTURE to show someone which way to go by waving your hand in that directionwave somebody through/on/away etc The border guards waved us through. Peter waved them back to their seats.4 → wave something goodbye/wave goodbye to something5 → wave a magic wand6 hair [intransitive, transitive]DCB if hair waves, or if it is waved, it forms loose curls → wave something ↔ aside → wave somebody/something ↔ down → wave somebody off→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
wave• The Patrician waved a hand again.• She continued to wave as the car drove out of sight.• Who's that waving at you?• When he waved down a taxi, he saw that her hand ferreted in her bag.• Yolanda waved for us to come over.• Nelson was waving from the upstairs window.• Her parents stood in the doorway and waved goodbye.• "Get out of here!" he shouted, waving his gun.• A Confederate flag waves in the breeze and a Rottweiler named Cocoa Puff stands guard on the front porch.• The flag waved proudly in the breeze.• We turned one last time to wave to Mr Bunea and Maria.• The emperor waved to the crowd from the palace balcony.• She waved to the young man and called out something which he could not catch.• The guard at the desk waves us through.• The customs officer at the border waved us through.• Nanny held Artemis aside and told her to wave, which she did.wave (somebody) goodbye• Beeby came to the door of Lloyd's house and waved us goodbye.• Standing on the battlements waving the galley goodbye, Elizabeth looked down - down the wall, and then down again.• All day he sees himself in the glass darkly and waves goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.• Andy is waving goodbye, Goodbye Goodbye.• As I waved her goodbye I was aware that the wheel had now turned full circle.• An hour later she had ordered a taxi and Paige had waved her goodbye in some bemusement.• He waved a general goodbye, said his thanks, and left.• I'd kiss your cheek and you'd wave me goodbye through the window.waved ... in the air• Labour fingers jabbed at the Liberal Democrats, while Tory order papers were waved in the air.Origin wave2 Old English wafian “to wave with the hands” 