Wave and waive are homophones: they sound exactly the same, but one is about moving and the other is about letting go.
- Wave is about movement: a hand, or water rolling forward.
- Waive is about giving up: a right, a fee or a rule that you choose not to use.
Wave: moving something
Wave is a verb and a noun. As a verb, it means to move your hand from side to side, or to move something through the air. As a noun, it can be a rolling swell of water, or a sudden rush of feeling.
Please wave goodbye to Grandma.
The flag waves in the wind above the school.
A huge wave crashed onto the beach.
There was a wave of excitement when the bell rang.
Waive: giving something up
Waive is a verb. It means to choose not to use a right, a claim, a fee or a rule, usually on purpose. The noun is waiver: a document, or the act of giving something up.
The shop waived the delivery fee for us.
The referee waived the rule about the late start, just this once.
She waived her turn so the others could play.
The club asked everyone to sign a waiver before the photos.
Easy way to tell them apart
Ask: Am I moving something, or giving something up?
- A hand, a flag or a rolling sea? Wave.
- A fee, a rule or a right I don't use? Waive.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Hand or fee?
❌ She waived goodbye from the bus.
✅ She waved goodbye from the bus.
Giving up a fee? Use waive.
❌ The shop waved the delivery fee.
✅ The shop waived the delivery fee.
Waiver is a noun for a form, not a movement.
❌ He gave a big waiver to the crowd.
✅ He gave a big wave to the crowd.
A surge of feeling is a wave, not a waive.
❌ a waive of excitement
✅ a wave of excitement
📌 Good to know
Just starting out? You can safely skip this part.
The verb waive came into English around 1300, from Anglo-French weyver, meaning "to abandon". It goes back to the Old French guever. The noun waiver appears in forms, sign-ups and agreements, so you may see it more in writing than in speech.
For another pair that sounds identical, read Peace vs Piece. For the hand movement in a goodbye, see Goodbye.
💬 In a conversation
Ana: The shop waived the delivery fee, so we saved money!
Ben: Brilliant. Did you wave at the driver?
Ana: I waved, of course. Then he waved back.
Ben: Same sound, two jobs. One is a hand, the other is giving something up.
💡 The OddLingo Trick
Waive has an i in it, like I give up. If you are giving something up, the i is there to remind you. Wave has no i: it is just a hand moving in the air, not a surrender.