A surfer is someone who rides ocean waves while standing on a specially designed board called a surfboard. Surfers paddle out past the breaking waves, wait for the right moment, then catch a wave as it builds and ride it toward shore, balancing carefully as the water rushes beneath them.

Surfing started in ancient Polynesia, where it was considered both a sport and an art form. Hawaiian kings and queens were expert surfers who rode waves on heavy wooden boards. Today, surfers use lighter boards made of foam and fiberglass, allowing them to perform tricks like carving sharp turns, riding inside the curl of the wave, or even spinning in the air.

The word also describes someone who moves casually from one thing to another. A channel surfer flips rapidly through TV channels, while someone surfing the internet clicks from website to website without staying long in one place. This meaning captures the gliding, exploring quality of riding waves: moving smoothly across a surface, sampling what's there, always ready to catch the next interesting thing that comes along.