Meanings
- UKinformalgovernmentThe wave of immigrants that entered the United Kingdom during the premiership of Boris Johnson (2019–2022).
In an interview, Johnson admitted that the so-called "Boriswave" of post-Brexit immigration was not an administrative mistake.
2024 October 19, Sam Bidwell, “Labour must kick Britain's dangerous addiction to migration”, in The Telegraph3 more examples
On the other side are Tories who worry that all this trumpeting about the potential cost of the Boriswave will just remind the public who was in charge of the rules that enabled numbers to get so out of control.
2025 February 11, Rachel Cunliffe, “The 'Boriswave' problem”, in The New StatesmanThis is a hugely welcome and sensible move: if the Boriswave was a mistake, as it is widely agreed to be, there is no reason we should let it become permanent.
2025 May 15, Laurie Wastell, “How Labour ended up taking on the Boriswave”, in The SpectatorIn recent weeks, Johnson has been forced to defend himself on several fronts: over his business dealings since leaving office, the Boriswave caused by his immigration reforms, and now, once again, his handling of coronavirus.
2025 October 22, “Boris looks like a bull taken back to the china shop to apologise”, in The Daily Telegraph, page 4
Origin
Cite this entry
Boriswave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Boriswave
“Boriswave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Boriswave. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Boriswave,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Boriswave.
Source: Boriswave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.