white horse
Definition
Noun: 1. A wave with a white, foamy crest: Specifically, a wave whose top (crest) is broken by the wind, creating a visible white, frothy appearance on the surface of the water.
Usage
The term "white horse" is used descriptively to refer to the visual phenomenon of white-capped waves, typically seen on windy days on oceans, seas, or large lakes. It is a poetic or colloquial term, not a technical scientific one.
Examples
- We watched the white horses gallop across the bay during the storm.
- The strong winds churned the sea into a field of white horses.
- From the cliff, you could see the endless procession of white horses marching toward the shore.
Advanced Usage
- "White horses" (plural): Commonly used to describe many such waves across a body of water.
- The forecast warns of strong winds and white horses on the channel.
Variants and Related Words
- Whitecap (noun): The more common, standard term for the same phenomenon—a wave with a white, broken crest.
- Foam (noun): The mass of small bubbles that forms the white part of a breaking wave.
- Crest (noun): The top or highest part of a wave.
Synonyms
- Whitecap
- Breaker (when the wave is breaking onto the shore)
- Foam-capped wave
Related Idioms and Phrases
- "Riding the white horses": A poetic or metaphorical phrase suggesting sailing on or braving rough, foamy seas.
- The old sailors spoke of riding the white horses across the Atlantic.
Noun
-
a wave that is blown by the wind so its crest is broken and appears white
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