noun
whitecaps; white-crested waves
Refers to waves with white foam on their crests, often seen on the sea or large bodies of water.
強い風で海に白波が立っている。
Whitecaps are forming on the sea because of the strong wind.
白波が商家に忍び込んだ。
A thief sneaked into the merchant's house.
Standard modern word for thief; 白波 is an archaic or literary synonym.
The kanji 白 (white) and 波 (wave) literally mean 'white waves'. The thief sense is thought to derive from the image of a thief disappearing like a white wave, but the exact origin is uncertain.