Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

surfing

 - 7 dictionary results

surf⋅ing

[sur-fing]
–noun
the act or sport of riding the surf, as on a surfboard.
Also called surfriding.


Origin:
1915–20; surf + -ing 1

surf

[surf]
–noun
1. the swell of the sea that breaks upon a shore or upon shoals.
2. the mass or line of foamy water caused by the breaking of the sea upon a shore, esp. a shallow or sloping shore.
–verb (used without object)
3. to ride a surfboard.
4. to float on the crest of a wave toward shore.
5. to swim, play, or bathe in the surf.
6. to search haphazardly, as for information on a computer network or an interesting program on television.
–verb (used with object)
7. to ride a surfboard on: We surfed every big wave in sight.
8. to search through (a computer network or TV channels) for information or entertainment.

Origin:
1675–85; earlier suff; of uncert. orig.


surf⋅a⋅ble, adjective
surfer, noun
surflike, adjective


1. See wave.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To surfing
surf   (sûrf)   
n.  The waves of the sea as they break upon a shore or reef.
v.   surfed, surf·ing, surfs

v.   intr.
  1. To engage in surfing.

  2. Informal To look at a variety of things casually, especially while browsing the Internet or television channels.

v.   tr.
    1. To ride on or along (a wave) on a surfboard.

    2. To engage in surfing at: had never surfed Malibu Beach.

  1. Informal To browse (the Internet or television channels, for example).


[Origin unknown.]
surf'y adj.
surf·ing   (sûr'fĭng)   
n.  
  1. The sport of riding on the crest or along the tunnel of a wave, especially while standing or lying on a surfboard. Also called surfboarding.

  2. Informal The activity of casually looking at something that offers numerous options, such as the Internet or television.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
surf

  1. mod.
    wonderful; with it; excellent. (California.) : This party is, like, surf.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

surf  (n.)
1685, probably from earlier suffe (1599), of uncertain origin. Originally used in reference to the coast of India, hence perhaps of Indic origin. Or perhaps a phonetic respelling of sough, which meant "a rushing sound." The verb meaning "ride the crest of a wave" is from 1917; surfer, surfing both from 1955. In the Internet sense, first recorded 1993.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Computing Dictionary

surfing
("Internet surfing") Used by analogy to describe the ease with which an expert user can use the waves of information flowing around the Internet to get where he wants. The term became popular in the early 1990s as access to the Internet became more widespread and tools such as World-Wide Web browsers made its use simpler and more pleasant.
(1995-01-05)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Search another word or see surfing on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: