Dictionary

wave in en · VERB

Etymology

English wave + in. From Middle English waven, from Old English wafian (“to wave, fluctuate, waver in mind, wonder”), from Proto-Germanic *wabōną, *wabjaną (“to wander, sway”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to move to and from, wander”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To try, in public, to attract people into a business establishment.
   • While the gentleman in blue waves customers in and out at the rate of one every three and one-third minutes, bank teller Gooding peers up through his oversized periscope and discourses on the hazards of his job. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1955/10/21/money-by-mirror-pthe-smiling-face/
   • By your definition, it's not only the proprietor of the Eden Club who qualifies as a pimp, it's the receptionist at every massage parlor, the security guard in the parking lot outside who waves customers in, etc. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304140439/http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/printthread.php?t=1076&pp=15&page=60
   • Bonnie Powers is the walking, talking hotdog who waves customers in off the street and greets the children with a smile. http://valdostadailytimes.com/archive/x1155920621/Slap-Daddy-s-serves-it-fresh-and-hot

Forms