bodysurf

verb

body·​surf ˈbä-dē-ˌsərf How to pronounce bodysurf (audio)
bodysurfed; bodysurfing; bodysurfs

intransitive verb

: to ride on a wave without a surfboard by planing on the chest and stomach
bodysurfer noun

Examples of bodysurf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Guests can bodysurf off the coasts of California beaches, engage in yoga on the beach and have a day at the spa. Rasha Ali, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2020 Watching bottlenose dolphins bodysurf off the coast of South Africa and racer snakes slither after iguanas never gets old. Star Tribune, 28 Aug. 2020 If the smallmouths weren’t biting on the Delaware River, there were always the catfish or a little riffle to bodysurf down in the summer. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 11 May 2020 Sea lions will bodysurf in ocean waves and sometimes link into huge, fleshy rafts to drift. Sallie Tisdale, Harper's magazine, 10 June 2019 In the 1980s, bodysurfing resurged, only to be gutted again by boogieboarding. Jamie Brisick, WSJ, 3 Jan. 2019 The two walked along the water and were even seen trying to bodysurf a few waves. Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, 13 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bodysurf was in 1908

Dictionary Entries Near bodysurf

Cite this Entry

“Bodysurf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bodysurf. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!