Abstract: As one of the key physical processes at the air-sea interface, air-sea momentum flux i.e. wind stress, the accuracy of its calculations greatly affects the development and improvement of ocean, atmosphere, and air-sea coupled models. Although the mechanism of wind stress over the ocean has been studied for more than half a century, there is still great uncertainty in the parameterization scheme of wind stress due to the complexity of air-sea flux as a turbulent process and the lack of high-quality observation data. Surface waves play a key role in this uncertainty, and their effects on wind stress have received increasing attention. Therefore, this study reviews the current research status of the influence of surface waves on the magnitude and direction of wind stress from the perspective of stress vector, with a focus on sorting out the latest research results and progress in the field of wind stress over the ocean. Finally, the key scientific issues that urgently need to be addressed in the future are given.