ride waves

Meanings

1. 1phraseintransitivesport

   To move along on the surface of waves, especially standing on a surfboard or similar board.

   Grammar: No object: you ride waves, you do not ride a wave of something here. Often used in the progressive: they were riding waves all morning.

   Patterns

   • ride waves
   • be riding waves

   The surfers paddled out early to ride waves before the wind picked up.

   On the west coast you can ride waves almost every day in autumn.

   She learned to ride waves on a longboard when she was twelve.

2. 2phraseintransitivefigurative

   To benefit from a period of popularity, growth, or success, usually without creating it yourself.

   Grammar: No object; the thing you benefit from comes after 'of': ride the wave of demand. The singular 'wave' is normal here, not 'waves'.

   Patterns

   • ride the wave of something
   • ride a wave of popularity
   • ride the wave

   Small studios rode the wave of demand for streaming shows.

   The brand has been riding a wave of popularity among teenagers.

   He rode the wave of public anger all the way to office.

3. 3phraseintransitivefigurative

   To manage a difficult or changing situation without being overwhelmed by it.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by 'of' plus the difficult thing, or used alone with 'through': ride the waves of change.

   Patterns

   • ride the waves of something
   • ride the waves

   Good managers ride the waves of change instead of fighting them.

   The company rode the waves of the recession better than its rivals.

   You have to ride the waves of uncertainty and keep your team calm.

Common combinations

ride the wave of something

Investors rode the wave of cheap credit for years.

ride a wave of popularity

The singer is riding a wave of popularity after her new album.

ride the waves of change

Older firms struggle to ride the waves of change in technology.

ride waves all day

They rented boards and rode waves all day at the beach.

catch a wave

If you paddle hard enough, you can catch a wave and ride it in.

Synonyms and how they differ

surf

Surf is the everyday verb for the sport; 'ride waves' sounds more descriptive and is less common in casual speech.

capitalize on

This fits the figurative sense of gaining from a trend, but it needs an object and does not suggest movement with a trend the way 'ride the wave' does.

go with the flow

This is about accepting things calmly rather than actively gaining from a trend, so it is weaker for the business sense.

Opposites

Word family

wave noun

A raised line of water moving across the sea, or a sudden increase in something.

surfer noun

A person who rides waves as a sport.

surfboard noun

The long narrow board used to ride waves.

Commonly confused: ride waves or ride a wave? ride waves or waive?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “ride waves”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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