surf

/sɜːf/ (bre, ipa) · /sɝːf/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsərf/ (ame, mw) · /sɜːrf/ (ame, ipa)

surf — verb

  • surfpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • surfs3rd person singular
  • surfing-ing form
  • surfedpast simple

1. to move from one website to another, looking at content in a relaxed way without

1.動詞及物 / 不及物A2
釋義

to move from one website to another, looking at content in a relaxed way without a fixed plan

例句

Xiu spent the afternoon surfing the internet for vacation ideas.

surf + noun phrase (the internet)

Ayesha likes to surf cooking blogs before deciding what to make for dinner.

surf + noun (cooking blogs)

同義詞
  • browse

    the most neutral term; suggests a more casual look than surf

  • navigate

    more purposeful, suggesting a goal-driven movement through web pages

  • scan

    implies a quick, efficient search for specific information

文法句型

surf + noun phrase (the internet / the web)

surf (no object)

用法筆記

Often used with 'the web', 'the internet', or 'the net' as the object. Can also be used intransitively with no object.

常見錯誤

I surfed the water for information.
I surfed the internet for information.
💡Only digital spaces (websites, the web, the internet) take this sense; do not use 'surf' with physical locations.

2. to stand or lie on a long narrow board and move across the surface of a breaking

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to stand or lie on a long narrow board and move across the surface of a breaking wave as it rolls toward the shore

例句

Hamza learned to surf during a summer trip to the Gold Coast in Australia.

learn to surf — common collocation

Every morning before work, Nora surfs at the beach near her apartment.

surf + location (at the beach)

同義詞
  • ride waves

    a descriptive literal phrase explaining the physical action

文法句型

surf

go surfing

用法筆記

This sense is almost always intransitive. When a location is mentioned, it is introduced by 'at' or 'on' ('surf at Bondi Beach', 'surf on the north shore').

常見錯誤

I surfed the wave all the way to the beach.
I surfed all the way to the beach on a wave.
💡The wave is the medium, not the grammatical object.

surf — noun