surf

/sərf/

/səf/

Other forms: surfing; surfed; surfs

The surf is what you see when you stand on the beach and look at the ocean — waves rising and breaking on the shore. It’s also what you do when you ride those waves. Surf’s up, dude!

Surf means "crashing waves," but it's also a verb meaning to ride those waves with a surf board. When you surf, you stand upright on a board and ride over breaking waves into the shore. A more figurative meaning of surf is "search casually," as in "channel surf," or click idly between TV stations. The origin of the word is a mystery, though it's thought to have first been used in reference to the Indian coast.

Definitions of surf

1. noun

   waves breaking on the shore
   synonyms: breaker, breakers

   type of:

   moving ridge, wave

   one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
2. verb

   ride ocean or sea waves with a long, buoyant water craft
   “Californians love to surf”

   synonyms: surfboard

   types:

   windsurf

   ride standing on a surfboard with an attached sail, on water

   type of:

   glide

   move smoothly and effortlessly
3. verb

   look around casually and randomly, without seeking anything in particular
   “surf the internet or the world wide web”

   synonyms: browse

   browse, shop

   shop around; not necessarily buying

   types:

   browse

   scan, look through, or look for information on the internet

   type of:

   look for, search, seek

   try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
4. verb

   switch channels, on television
   synonyms: channel-surf

   type of:

   change, shift, switch

   lay aside, abandon, or leave for another