Meaning & use
wade
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To walk slowly through water, mud, or something soft that makes each step difficult.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'through' or 'across': wade through the river.
Patterns
- wade through something
- wade across something
- wade in something
We waded through the shallow river to reach the other side.
The children waded in the muddy pond after the rain.
He took off his shoes and waded across the stream.
verbintransitivefigurative
To work slowly and with effort through a large amount of something boring, such as paperwork or a long text.
Grammar: Used figuratively, almost always with 'through': wade through emails.
Patterns
- wade through something
I spent the morning wading through hundreds of emails.
She waded through the long report before the meeting.
verbintransitiveinformal
To enter a fight, argument, or discussion in a forceful and direct way.
Grammar: Often used with 'in' or 'into': wade into the debate.
Patterns
- wade in
- wade into something
The manager waded into the argument and told everyone to calm down.
She waded in with her own opinion before anyone could stop her.
Word forms
| third person singular | wades |
|---|---|
| past tense | waded |
| past participle | waded |
| -ing form | wading |
Common combinations
- wade through water
- We had to wade through water up to our knees.
- wade across a river
- They waded across the river at the shallow point.
- wade into the sea
- She waded into the sea, laughing at the cold.
- wade through paperwork
- He spent the weekend wading through paperwork.
- wade in
- Don't just stand there—wade in and help.
Synonyms and how they differ
- paddle
- Paddle means to walk in shallow water for fun, often like a child; wade is more neutral and can be for a purpose.
- ford
- Ford is a more formal or technical word for crossing a river at a shallow place; wade is the everyday verb.
- trudge
- Trudge means to walk slowly with heavy steps, often on land; wade specifically involves water or something that slows your feet.
Word family
- wader noun
- A person who wades, or a type of bird that walks in shallow water.
- wading noun
- The act of walking in shallow water.
Commonly confused: wade or weighed?
wade vs weighed
Weighed is the past of 'weigh' (to measure weight); wade is about walking in water. They sound similar but have different meanings.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Wade across' is the correct pattern for crossing something. The other options use the wrong preposition or word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wade”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.