wave off
To give a wave of one's hand, or of a flag or wand, so as to signal to desist or leaveTo give a wave of one's hand, or of a flag or wand, so as to signal (someone) to desist or leave.
» The wave knocked me off my feet.
Meaning
4 senses(transitive)To give a wave of one's hand, or of a flag or wand, so as to signal (someone) to desist or leave.
Near-synonym: wave away
He waved off the approaching truck driver and restarted the apparatus.
To give a wave of one's hand, or of a flag or wand, so as to signal (someone) to desist or leave.
(transitive)Of an aircraft carrier landing signal officer, to signal a pilot to go around.
(transitive)To say goodbye to someone with a wave (hand gesture).
Of a referee, to disallow a field goal with the aforementioned hand gesture.
- dismiss as insignificant
Examples
2 sentencesThe wave knocked me off my feet.
The waves carried me off my feet.
Forms
waves off, waving off, waved off, waved off| Base form | wave off · to wave off |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | waves off |
| Present participle | waving off |
| Past simple | waved off |
| Past participle | waved off |
irregular
Phrasal verbs
6 phrasal verbs- wave offTo give a wave of one's hand, or of a flag or wand, so as to signal (someone) to desist or leave.
- wave inTo try, in public, to attract people into a business establishment.
- wave downTo cause (a moving vehicle) to stop by using an arm gesture.
- wave awayTo reject or dismiss with a hand gesture.
- wave throughTo indicate to a person or vehicle that they can proceed, by giving a wave (hand gesture).
- wave asideTo dismiss something without paying much attention to it; to decide something is too unimportant or unnecessary to respond to
Synonyms
1 synonymsAntonyms
1 antonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Phrasal verbs: introduction — Because it is a phrasal verb