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bow wave

American  
[bou] / baʊ /

noun

  1. the wave generated on either side of a vessel's bow by its forward movement through the water.

  2. a type of shock wave formed in front of a body moving at supersonic speed.


Etymology

Origin of bow wave

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She said the bow wave also took out the windows of other shops, describing it as "devastating for the town".

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2024

It was the bow wave of a boom decade of growth the likes of which the city hadn’t seen since the gold rush.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2024

Diffuse gas in the two galactic haloes would compress on collision, forming a curved structure like the bow wave from a ship moving through water.

From Scientific American • Jan. 12, 2023

Hospital admissions are also spiking, illustrating how omicron is creating a bow wave of havoc.

From Washington Post • Jan. 12, 2022

In the violence of motion from the tanker’s bow wave the candle and matches that had been on the table had been thrown off.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen