wave (someone) off
phrasal verb
waved (someone) off; waving (someone) off; waves (someone) off
: to move one's hand as a way of telling someone that one does not want help
We offered to help but he waved us off.
Examples of wave (someone) off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The damage Moicano put on his opponent forced the doctor to wave off the fight as Saint Denis’ right eye was nearly swollen shut.
—
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
However, perhaps the biggest moment at UFC Vegas 101 came at the end of the middleweight main card bout between Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis, as referee Mark Smith controversially intervened to wave off the fight with just one second remaining.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 12 Jan. 2025
The new target launch time was announced after Blue Origin chose to wave off plans to get New Glenn off the ground in the early hours of Sunday morning.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 11 Jan. 2025
The storm originated from a tropical wave off Africa on Oct. 10 but did not develop into a tropical cyclone until Oct. 19 due to adverse atmospheric conditions.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wave (someone) off 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
However, perhaps the biggest moment at UFC Vegas 101 came at the end of the middleweight main card bout between Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis, as referee Mark Smith controversially intervened to wave off the fight with just one second remaining.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 12 Jan. 2025
The new target launch time was announced after Blue Origin chose to wave off plans to get New Glenn off the ground in the early hours of Sunday morning.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 11 Jan. 2025
The storm originated from a tropical wave off Africa on Oct. 10 but did not develop into a tropical cyclone until Oct. 19 due to adverse atmospheric conditions.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wave (someone) off
Dictionary Entries Near wave (someone) off
Cite this Entry
“Wave (someone) off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wave%20%28someone%29%20off. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share