1
: the swell of the sea that breaks upon the shore
2
: the foam, splash, and sound of breaking waves
surfed; surfing; surfs
1
: to ride the surf (as on a surfboard)
2
: to scan a wide range of offerings for something of interest
: to scan the offerings of (such as television or the Internet) for something of interest
surfer
noun
Examples of surf in a Sentence
Noun
We could hear the roar of the surf.
beachgoers romping in the swirling surf
Verb
He learned to surf when he was living in California.
Recent Examples on the Web
Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 30 July 2025
Ericeira and Nazaré are popular surf spots for travelers who want to catch a wave or two.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 29 July 2025
Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
And on Wall Street, big banks surfed this spring's market volatility to a terrific quarter.
—Maria Aspan, NPR, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for surf
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Organizers called off the start of the Challenger Series portion of the competition on Wednesday, July 30, due to itty-bitty surf and a funky wind that was mucking up the conditions even more.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 30 July 2025
Ericeira and Nazaré are popular surf spots for travelers who want to catch a wave or two.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 29 July 2025
Verb
He is called the original Hawaiian power surfer, known for his groundbreaking, innovative approach to surfing Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
And on Wall Street, big banks surfed this spring's market volatility to a terrific quarter.
—Maria Aspan, NPR, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for surf
Cite this Entry
“Surf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surf. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
surf
1 of 2 noun1
: waves that break upon the shore
2
: the foam, splash, and sound of breaking waves
surf
2 of 2 verb1
: to ride the surf (as on a surfboard)
2
: to scan the offerings of (as television or the Internet) for something of interest
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share