wave washing

noun

A form of hunting used by some pods of orcas to drive a prey animal (such as a seal) seeking refuge on a sheet of ice into the water, in which members of the pod swim together at high speed towards the sheet to create a powerful wave that breaks it up.

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Meanings

nounwave washing (uncountable)

alternative wavewashing

  1. uncountablemarine biologyA form of hunting used by some pods of orcas to drive a prey animal (such as a seal) seeking refuge on a sheet of ice into the water, in which members of the pod swim together at high speed towards the sheet to create a powerful wave that breaks it up.

Origin

From wave + washing (“move or erode by the force of water”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

wave washing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wave%20washing

MLA

“wave washing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wave%20washing. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wave washing,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wave%20washing.

Source: wave washing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.