white horses

White horses crest on the open sea.

Definition

Noun (plural): - White horses refers to the appearance of breaking waves on the sea, characterized by white crests or foam that resemble the manes of horses. This term is used to describe the visual phenomenon when wind causes waves to form white, frothy tops.

Usage Examples

• (Breaking waves with white foam crests.)
• (The white foam on wave tops.)

Advanced Usage

• "to see white horses": to observe this phenomenon, often used in maritime contexts.
  • From the cliff, we could see white horses stretching to the horizon. (The white foam on many waves.)
• "white horses on the sea": a poetic or descriptive phrase for windy conditions.
  • The sea was covered in white horses, making the boat ride rough. (Many breaking waves with white foam.)

Variants and Related Words

• Whitecap (n): a synonym for a wave with a foaming white crest.
  • The lake was full of whitecaps during the gale. (Waves with white foam tops.)

Synonyms

• Whitecaps: breaking waves with white foam.
• Foaming waves: waves that produce foam at their crests.
• Breaking waves: waves that collapse and form white foam.

Related Idioms

• "to make white horses": (informal) to cause waves to break and form white foam, often said of the wind.
  • The strong wind made white horses on the sea. (The wind created white foam on wave crests.)

Note: This term is a fixed plural noun phrase and does not have a singular form used in the same sense. It is not a verb, adjective, or phrasal verb.