beach
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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Nautical. to haul or run onto a beach.
We beached the ship to save it.
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to make inoperative or unemployed.
- Synonyms:
- ground
noun
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Alfred Ely, 1826–96, U.S. editor, publisher, and inventor.
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Amy Marcey Cheney 1867–1944, U.S. composer and pianist.
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Moses Yale, 1800–68, U.S. newspaper publisher.
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Rex Ellingwood 1877–1949, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
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Sylvia Woodbridge, 1887–1962, U.S. bookseller and publisher in France.
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See shore 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have beachedperfect
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has beachedperfect 3rd person singular
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am beachingprogressive 1st person singular
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is beachingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been beachingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been beachingperfect progressive
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are beachingprogressive
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beachessingular 3rd person
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beachingparticiple
Past
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had beachedperfect
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were beachingprogressive plural
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had been beachingperfect progressive
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was beachingprogressive singular
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beachedparticiple
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beachedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of beach
First recorded in 1525–35; of obscure origin
Explanation
You know that wide, flat patch of sand that leads down to the sea, or maybe even the lake? That's a beach, one of the most beautiful places in the world. During a long, stormy winter, a beach can erode and move. The word beach can also be used more generally to describe a town or vacation spot along the ocean or sea. In New Jersey, they call it the shore. But in lots of other places, people say they're going to the beach when they mean they are taking a trip to the seaside for vacation. Of course, if you beach your boat, you might not be overjoyed: that means you've run it aground, usually on a choice pile of sand.
Vocabulary lists containing beach
"maggie and milly and molly and may"
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The notorious bidding war for a Palm Beach estate between Trump and Jeffrey Epstein involved a third party.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
In Florida, the resident of a multimillion-dollar Mediterranean compound has been fighting with Palm Beach over a policy enforcing public access to some of the area’s beaches.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
She is no stranger to slow starts and rapid finishes in the game's biggest tournaments and there were echoes of Pebble Beach three years ago when she was joint runner-up to Allisen Corpuz.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
They purchased an acre of land in Ballen Isles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, with both water and golf course views.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
We passed the gazebo at the end of our street where the American Legion band played every Saturday night of the summer and we crossed Beach Street.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.