ride (on) a wave

R

ride (on) a wave

Meaning

  • to enjoy the advantages of something
  • to benefit from something popular, interesting, or fortunate
  • to enjoy a period of time

Example Sentences

  1. The person that won the lottery was riding the wave of millions of dollars.
  2. We were on the wave of the trip we took last summer.
  3. The new actress is riding a wave of popularity on social media.
  4. She rode a wave of momentum to truly extraordinary levels of achievement.
  5. During his time, the company rode a wave of prosperity and optimism.
  6. I am on the wave about the new car I just got.
  7. He doesn’t want to lose out on the wave he’s riding.

Origin

The expression has been around for a long time. Some sources date this phrase back to the 1830s. It gets its name from essentially a wave. A wave in the ocean can become big and large. Therefore, when a person is riding on the wave, they are typically at the height or the top of something major in life. This is why this phrase is typically used to describe a person that is in the prime or the major part of something in life.

Etymology is the study of words, and when we study the words in this phrase, we can understand their origin and meanings much better. There are variations in this phrase. But “on a wave” is a very common way of expressing a great time.

See also: on the crest of a wave

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