What does "wade" mean?
Wade: To go; to move forward. [Obs.] When might is joined unto cruelty, Alas, too deep will the venom wade. Chaucer. Forbear, and wade no further in this speech. Old Play.
Additional senses
- 2.To walk in a substance that yields to the feet; to move, sinking at each step, as in water, mud, sand, etc. So eagerly the fiend . . . With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way, And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies. Milton.
- 3.Hence, to move with difficulty or labor; to proceed as, to wade through a dull book. And wades through fumes, and gropes his way. Dryden. The king's admirable conduct has waded through all these difficulties. Davenant.
- 4.To pass or cross by wading; as, he waded .
- 5.The act of wading. [Colloq.]
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17 · Modified: 2026-07-17