Waive vs. Wave — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on October 10, 2023
"Waive" means to voluntarily abstain from something, while "wave" refers to a moving pattern or a hand gesture. Both words, though homophones, vastly differ in usage and meaning.
Difference Between Waive and Wave
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Key Differences
While "Waive" and "Wave" share phonetic similarities, they diverge sharply in meaning and application. "Waive" is a verb that entails the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege, frequently used in legal and official contexts. "Wave," conversely, can be both a noun and a verb, referring to a moving pattern in its noun form and the act of moving one's hand to and fro in its verb form, often utilized in various contexts including natural phenomena and human gestures.
Within legal and official documentation, "Waive" commonly surfaces as a term indicative of foregoing a certain right, claim, or privilege. For example, one might waive their right to legal representation in certain contexts. Contrarily, "Wave" does not navigate through legalities or officialities but is rather entrenched in descriptions of motion or movement, such as waves in the ocean or waving a hand in greeting or farewell.
In a casual or everyday setting, "Waive" might not be as prevalently used due to its specific, formal connotation, yet it could appear in instances where one forgoes a fee or requirement. "Wave," however, is an everyday word, describing a familiar, friendly gesture when one person greets another, as in waving hello or goodbye, or illustrating rhythmic motions in nature, as seen in the undulating movement of sea waves.
From a grammatical lens, "Waive" retains its verb status, unable to transform into a different part of speech. In contrast, "Wave" demonstrates more grammatical flexibility, easily transitioning between a noun and verb. Thus, while "waive" might be somewhat restricted in its applications, "wave" provides a wide array of descriptive possibilities ranging from the physical action of waving to the gentle motion of grass waving in the breeze.
Observing colloquial language, "Waive" may not find frequent usage due to its formal and specific nature, perhaps being replaced by synonymous words or phrases in informal dialogue. On the other hand, "Wave" comfortably nestles into colloquial usage, from describing physical motions to metaphorically illustrating fluctuating patterns in data or trends, demonstrating its adaptability and wide-reaching application across various contexts.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Always a verb
Can be both a noun and a verb
Usage Context
Legal, formal, or official
Various, including physical and metaphorical
Commonality in Language
Less common in casual conversation
Frequently used in various contexts
Meaning
To voluntarily forego or relinquish
To move to and fro or a moving pattern
Application
Specific, often pertaining to rights or claims
Diverse, from greetings to describing patterns
Compare with Definitions
Waive
Waive refers to the act of relinquishing a right or claim.
She decided to waive her right to a lawyer.
Wave
Wave signifies a surge or rush of a particular condition or feeling.
A wave of nostalgia washed over her while looking at old photographs.
Waive
Waive implies foregoing or giving up voluntarily.
He chose to waive his annual bonus.
Wave
In physics, mathematics, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities, sometimes as described by a wave equation. In physical waves, at least two field quantities in the wave medium are involved.
Waive
Waive involves dismissing or setting aside a demand.
They opted to waive the late fee due to exceptional circumstances.
Wave
Move one's hand to and fro in greeting or as a signal
He waved to me from the train
Waive
Waive means to disregard an existing rule or requirement.
The university chose to waive the application fee for certain students.
Wave
Move to and fro with a swaying motion while remaining fixed to one point
The flag waved in the wind
Waive
Waive signifies abandoning or dispensing with something formally.
The committee agreed to waive the age restriction for the candidate.
Wave
Style (hair) so that it curls slightly
Her hair had been carefully waved for the evening
Waive
Refrain from insisting on or using (a right or claim)
He will waive all rights to the money
Wave
A long body of water curling into an arched form and breaking on the shore
He was swept out to sea by a freak wave
Waive
To give up (a claim or right, for example) voluntarily; relinquish.
Wave
A sudden occurrence of or increase in a phenomenon, feeling, or emotion
Fear came over me in waves
A wave of strikes had paralysed the government
Waive
To refrain from insisting on or enforcing (a rule, penalty, or requirement, for example); dispense with
"The original ban on private trading had long since been waived" (William L. Schurz).
Wave
A gesture or signal made by moving one's hand to and fro
He gave a little wave and walked off
Waive
To refrain from engaging in, sometimes temporarily; cancel or postpone
Let's waive our discussion of that problem.
Wave
A slightly curling lock of hair
His hair was drying in unruly waves
Waive
(Sports) To place (a player) on waivers.
Wave
A periodic disturbance of the particles of a substance which may be propagated without net movement of the particles, such as in the passage of undulating motion, heat, or sound.
Waive
To relinquish (a right etc.); to give up claim to; to forgo.
If you waive the right to be silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.
Wave
A member of the women's reserve of the US Navy, organized during World War II, but now no longer a separate branch.
Waive
(particularly) To relinquish claim on a payment or fee which would otherwise be due.
Wave
A ridge or swell moving through or along the surface of a large body of water.
Waive
To put aside, avoid.
Wave
A small ridge or swell moving across the interface of two fluids and dependent on surface tension.
Waive
(obsolete) To outlaw (someone).
Wave
Often waves The sea
Vanished beneath the waves.
Waive
(obsolete) To abandon, give up (someone or something).
Wave
A moving curve or succession of curves in or on a surface; an undulation
Waves of wheat in the wind.
Waive
(obsolete) To move from side to side; to sway.
Wave
A curve or succession of curves, as in the hair.
Waive
To stray, wander.
Wave
A curved shape, outline, or pattern.
Waive
A woman put out of the protection of the law; an outlawed woman.
Wave
A movement up and down or back and forth
A wave of the hand.
Waive
(obsolete) A waif; a castaway.
Wave
A surge or rush, as of sensation
A wave of nausea.
A wave of indignation.
Waive
A waif; a castaway.
Wave
A sudden great rise, as in activity or intensity
A wave of panic selling on the stock market.
Waive
To relinquish; to give up claim to; not to insist on or claim; to refuse; to forego.
He waiveth milk, and flesh, and all.
We absolutely do renounce or waive our own opinions, absolutely yielding to the direction of others.
Wave
A rising trend that involves large numbers of individuals
A wave of conservatism.
Waive
To throw away; to cast off; to reject; to desert.
Wave
One of a succession of mass movements
The first wave of settlers.
Waive
To throw away; to relinquish voluntarily, as a right which one may enforce if he chooses.
Wave
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.
Waive
To turn aside; to recede.
To waive from the word of Solomon.
Wave
A widespread, persistent meteorological condition, especially of temperature
A heat wave.
Waive
Do without or cease to hold or adhere to;
We are dispensing with formalities
Relinquish the old ideas
Wave
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.
Waive
Lose or lose the right to by some error, offense, or crime
Wave
A graphic representation of the variation of such a disturbance with time.
Wave
A single cycle of a periodic wave.
Wave
To move freely back and forth or up and down in the air, as branches in the wind.
Wave
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.
Wave
To have an undulating or wavy form; curve or curl
Her hair waves naturally.
Wave
To cause to move back and forth or up and down, either once or repeatedly
She waved a fan before her face.
Wave
To move or swing as in giving a signal
He waved his hand.
Wave
To signal or express by waving the hand or an object held in the hand
We waved goodbye.
Wave
To signal (a person) by using the hand to move in a specified direction
The police officer waved the motorist into the right lane.
Wave
To arrange into curves, curls, or undulations
Wave one's hair.
Wave
(intransitive) To move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely.
The flag waved in the gentle breeze.
Wave
(intransitive) To move one’s hand back and forth (generally above the shoulders) in greeting or departure.
Wave
To call attention to, or give a direction or command to, by a waving motion, as of the hand; to signify by waving; to beckon; to signal; to indicate.
I waved goodbye from across the room.
Wave
(intransitive) To have an undulating or wavy form.
Wave
(transitive) To raise into inequalities of surface; to give an undulating form or surface to.
Wave
(transitive) To produce waves to the hair.
Wave
To swing and miss at a pitch.
Jones waves at strike one.
Wave
(transitive) To cause to move back and forth repeatedly.
The starter waved the flag to begin the race.
Wave
To signal (someone or something) with a waving movement.
Wave
To fluctuate; to waver; to be in an unsettled state.
Wave
To move like a wave, or by floating; to waft.
Wave
To generate a wave.
Wave
Obsolete spelling of waive
Wave
A moving disturbance in the level of a body of liquid; an undulation.
The wave traveled from the center of the lake before breaking on the shore.
Wave
(poetic) The ocean.
Wave
(physics) A moving disturbance in the energy level of a field.
Gravity waves, while predicted by theory for decades, have been notoriously difficult to detect.
Wave
A shape that alternatingly curves in opposite directions.
Her hair had a nice wave to it.
Sine wave
Wave
Any of a number of species of moths in the geometrid subfamily Sterrhinae, which have wavy markings on the wings.
Wave
A loose back-and-forth movement, as of the hands.
He dismissed her with a wave of the hand.
Wave
(figuratively) A sudden, but temporary, uptick in something.
A wave of shoppers stampeded through the door when the store opened for its Christmas discount special.
A wave of retirees began moving to the coastal area.
A wave of emotion overcame her when she thought about her son who was killed in battle.
Wave
One of the successive swarms of enemies sent to attack the player in certain games.
Wave
(usually "the wave") A group activity in a crowd imitating a wave going through water, where people in successive parts of the crowd stand and stretch upward, then sit.
Wave
See Waive.
Wave
To play loosely; to move like a wave, one way and the other; to float; to flutter; to undulate.
His purple robes waved careless to the winds.
Where the flags of three nations has successively waved.
Wave
To be moved to and fro as a signal.
Wave
To fluctuate; to waver; to be in an unsettled state; to vacillate.
He waved indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good nor harm.
Wave
To move one way and the other; to brandish.
Wave
To raise into inequalities of surface; to give an undulating form a surface to.
Horns whelked and waved like the enridged sea.
Wave
To move like a wave, or by floating; to waft.
Wave
To call attention to, or give a direction or command to, by a waving motion, as of the hand; to signify by waving; to beckon; to signal; to indicate.
Look, with what courteous actionIt waves you to a more removed ground.
She spoke, and bowing wavedDismissal.
Wave
An advancing ridge or swell on the surface of a liquid, as of the sea, resulting from the oscillatory motion of the particles composing it when disturbed by any force their position of rest; an undulation.
The wave behind impels the wave before.
Wave
A vibration propagated from particle to particle through a body or elastic medium, as in the transmission of sound; an assemblage of vibrating molecules in all phases of a vibration, with no phase repeated; a wave of vibration; an undulation. See Undulation.
Wave
Water; a body of water.
Build a ship to save thee from the flood,I 'll furnish thee with fresh wave, bread, and wine.
Wave
Unevenness; inequality of surface.
Wave
A waving or undulating motion; a signal made with the hand, a flag, etc.
Wave
The undulating line or streak of luster on cloth watered, or calendered, or on damask steel.
Wave
Something resembling or likened to a water wave, as in rising unusually high, in being of unusual extent, or in progressive motion; a swelling or excitement, as of feeling or energy; a tide; flood; period of intensity, usual activity, or the like; as, a wave of enthusiasm; waves of applause.
Wave
One of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
Wave
A movement like that of an ocean wave;
A wave of settlers
Troops advancing in waves
Wave
(physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
Wave
Something that rises rapidly;
A wave of emotion swept over him
There was a sudden wave of buying before the market closed
A wave of conservatism in the country led by the hard right
Wave
The act of signaling by a movement of the hand
Wave
A hairdo that creates undulations in the hair
Wave
An undulating curve
Wave
A persistent and widespread unusual weather condition (especially of unusual temperatures)
Wave
A member of the women's reserve of the United States Navy; originally organized during World War II but now no longer a separate branch
Wave
Signal with the hands or nod;
She waved to her friends
He waved his hand hospitably
Wave
Move or swing back and forth;
She waved her gun
Wave
Move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion;
The curtains undulated
The waves rolled towards the beach
Wave
Twist or roll into coils or ringlets;
Curl my hair, please
Wave
Set waves in;
She asked the hairdresser to wave her hair
Wave
Wave, as a verb, implies moving one’s hand to and fro.
She raised her hand to wave goodbye.
Wave
Wave, as a noun, refers to a moving pattern or swell, often in water.
The boat bobbed over the large ocean wave.
Wave
Wave means to signal by moving a hand.
He saw her across the street and gave a wave.
Wave
Wave can refer to a pattern of fluctuation or variation.
The graph showed a wave of rising and falling temperatures.
Common Curiosities
Can Wave be used in a legal context to mean relinquishing rights?
No, "wave" typically refers to a physical or metaphorical movement, not foregoing rights.
How is Waive commonly used?
"Waive" is often used in formal contexts to mean relinquishing a right or claim.
Does Wave always pertain to physical movement?
No, "wave" can also describe non-physical patterns, like a wave of emotions.
Is Waive a flexible word in language use?
Less so, "waive" is typically rigid, mostly used as a verb in specific contexts.
Is Waive used to depict hand movement?
No, "waive" refers to forsaking or renouncing something, not a physical movement.
Can Wave be a noun and a verb?
Yes, "wave" can describe a moving pattern (noun) or the act of moving to and fro (verb).
Can Waive be used metaphorically?
Rarely, "waive" typically sticks to its literal meaning of foregoing something.
Can Wave imply surrendering a right?
No, "wave" doesn't imply relinquishing rights. That would be "waive."
Is Waive suitable for casual conversation?
"Waive" might appear less in casual talk due to its formal, specific connotations.
Is Waive common in legal documents?
Yes, "waive" is often used legally to signify the relinquishment of a right or claim.
Can I use Wave to imply foregoing a fee?
No, "wave" doesn’t pertain to foregoing or relinquishing something, that’s "waive."
Is Waive used to describe something in motion?
No, "waive" pertains to foregoing something, not describing motion like "wave."
Is Wave specific to water movement?
No, while it can describe water movement, "wave" is also used in various other contexts.
Can Waive describe a pattern?
No, "waive" does not describe patterns, unlike "wave" which can.
Can I describe a hand movement with Waive?
No, "waive" does not pertain to physical movements. Use "wave" instead.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
