crest
crest
noun
/krest
1 usually singular crest (of something) the top part of a hill or wave
surfers riding the crest of the wave
TOPICS Geography C2
Collocations
verb + crest
reach
preposition
on a/​the crest
phrases
ride the crest of something
2 ​a design used as the symbol of a particular family, organization, etc., especially one that has a long history
the university crest
The family crest consists of a crown and an eight-pointed star.
3 a group of feathers that stand up on top of a bird’s head
The male is recognizable by its yellow crest.
TOPICS Birds C2
Idioms
the crest of a/the wave
ride the crest of something
crest
verb (crests, crested, crested, cresting)
/krest/
1 ​transitive crest something (formal) to reach the top of a hill, mountain or wave
He slowed the pace as they crested the ridge.
The ship crested a wave and then fell twenty feet or more.
2 ​intransitive (North American English) (of a flood, wave, etc.) to reach its highest level before it falls again
(figurative) The level of debt crested at a massive $290 billion in 2009.
Word Origin
Middle English: from Old French creste, from Latin crista ‘tuft, plume’.