1. to walk through water or another liquid that reaches partway up the legs
2. to move or proceed slowly and with difficulty through something
Usage: often used with ‘through’
3. to attack or begin something energetically
Usage: informal; often used with ‘in’ or ‘into’

Examples

• The children love to wade in the shallow creek.
• We had to wade through knee-deep flood water to reach safety.
• She spent hours wading through the dense legal documents.
• I need to wade through all these emails before I can leave.
• The detective had to wade through hundreds of witness statements.
• When the argument started, he decided to wade in and defend his friend.
• The birds wade along the shoreline looking for fish.