Meaning & use
ride the waves
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Meanings
phraseidiomfigurative
To accept and make the best of changing or difficult situations rather than fighting them.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the subject is a person or group, and it takes no object: She rode the waves of change.
Patterns
- ride the waves of something
- ride the waves of change
Small businesses learned to ride the waves of a shifting economy.
Instead of resisting the new rules, the team decided to ride the waves and adapt.
She has a calm way of riding the waves of criticism without losing confidence.
phraseidiom
Literally, to surf or move on the surface of ocean waves.
Grammar: Used literally for surfing or boating; the subject is a person or a boat.
Patterns
- ride the waves on something
The children rode the waves on their bodyboards all afternoon.
The little boat rode the waves easily and reached the shore before dark.
Common combinations
- ride the waves of change
- Companies that ride the waves of change often come out stronger.
- ride the waves of uncertainty
- The whole industry is trying to ride the waves of uncertainty.
- learn to ride the waves
- New managers must learn to ride the waves of office politics.
- ride the waves of success
- After the film became a hit, the actor rode the waves of success for years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- go with the flow
- More informal and suggests simply accepting what happens, without the idea of actively managing change.
- weather the storm
- Focuses on surviving a difficult period rather than making the most of ongoing change.
- adapt
- A plain verb meaning to change your behavior to fit new conditions; it does not carry the image of moving with waves.
Opposites
Commonly confused: ride the waves or ride out?
ride the waves vs ride out
To 'ride out' a storm or crisis means to survive it until it ends, not to make the most of it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'ride the waves' in its usual figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
The figurative sense is about coping with change, so 'rode the waves of a changing market' fits. The surfer sentence is literal, and buses and bicycles do not ride waves.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ride the waves”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.