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• beach
  beach

  noun

  an expanse of sand or pebbles along a shore.
• Beach
  Beach

  noun

  Alfred Ely, 1826–96, U.S. editor, publisher, and inventor.

beach

¹ American  

[beech] / bitʃ /

noun

• beaches
  plural

1. an expanse of sand or pebbles along a shore.

2. the part of the shore of an ocean, sea, large river, lake, etc., washed by the tide or waves.

   Synonyms:

   littoral, strand, seashore, coast

3. the area adjacent to a seashore.

   We're vacationing at the beach.

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verb (used with object)

• beaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• beached,
  past participle,  past
• beaching
  present participle

1. Nautical. to haul or run onto a beach.

   We beached the ship to save it.

2. to make inoperative or unemployed.

   Synonyms:

   ground

Beach ² American  

[beech] / bitʃ /

noun

1. Alfred Ely, 1826–96, U.S. editor, publisher, and inventor.

2. Amy Marcey Cheney 1867–1944, U.S. composer and pianist.

3. Moses Yale, 1800–68, U.S. newspaper publisher.

4. Rex Ellingwood 1877–1949, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

5. Sylvia Woodbridge, 1887–1962, U.S. bookseller and publisher in France.

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beach British  

/ biːtʃ /

noun

1. an extensive area of sand or shingle sloping down to a sea or lake, esp the area between the high- and low-water marks on a seacoast

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verb

1. to run or haul (a boat) onto a beach

beach Scientific  

/ bēch /

1. The area of accumulated sand, stone, or gravel deposited along a shore by the action of waves and tides. Beaches usually slope gently toward the body of water they border and have a concave shape. They extend landward from the low water line to the point where there is a distinct change in material (as in a line of vegetation) or in land features (as in a cliff).

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Synonym Usage

See shore ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• beachless
  adjective
• unbeached
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• beaches
  plural

Participles

• beaching
  present
• beached
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• beach
  simple
• beaches
  simple
• have beached
  perfect
• has beached
  perfect
• am beaching
  progressive
• are beaching
  progressive
• is beaching
  progressive
• have been beaching
  perfect progressive
• has been beaching
  perfect progressive

Past

• beached
  simple
• had beached
  perfect
• was beaching
  progressive
• were beaching
  progressive
• had been beaching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will beach
  simple
• will have beached
  perfect
• will be beaching
  progressive
• will have been beaching
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beach Beach beaches beached beaching

While there was talk about improving the town's High Street, cleaning up the beach and creating more jobs, there was no serious debate about how this would be done.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

With five bedrooms and five bathrooms, the property boasts ample space for large families—or for those seeking a private beach sanctuary where they can entertain friends and loved ones.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

There’s an upstairs restaurant, spa services, a pool and boathouse bar, along with a dock and private beach at the end of the short trail that feels like a secret path.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

"We are on the beach and looking for a way to get away," Sophia, a homeowner in the region who only gave her first name, told AFP by phone.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

And the smell, like a rotten frigate bird’s egg smashed on the beach.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Perched on a hilltop overlooking the ocean and the iconic Zuma Beach, the 4,000-square-foot main residence offers unobstructed views of the water, which are beautifully framed by floor-to-ceiling windows.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

His image is featured on a limited edition US passport, and the airport in West Palm Beach, Florida is now named for him.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Kometer said it should be a tarmac rally stage while professional stunt driver and Long Beach local Sarah Fairfield, who piloted the second ’26 MX-5 on this trip, equated it to a roller coaster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Riverfront recreation at Johnson’s Beach is a block away.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Long Beach Savings, wholly owned by Washington Mutual, was a prime example of financial incontinence.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

“This creates far too many opportunities for something to go wrong, and when something does go wrong, it’s our oceans, beaches, wildlife and coastal economy that pay the price.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

A fleet of small boats evacuated about 500 tourists from beaches in northern Greece as a forest fire threatened two popular resorts.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Such journeys have become a rite of passage for the millions of tourists who island-hop through Greece every summer, dreaming of beaches, parties and feta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Thousands of people gathered on beaches and in parks to get the best spots to watch the solar eclipse in the North West.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

We'd land on the Normandy beaches, drive south, lie about our ages, and work in vineyards or ski chalets.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

The image of the beached horse first lodged in Nolan’s mind over 20 years ago when he was in the running to direct a movie based on another Homeric epic, “The Iliad.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

But I can choose to recognize that some performers, artistic works and brands are simply too big to fail or bury, so they become some version of a beached grey whale’s corpse.

From Salon ● May 14, 2026

Vonk and his team ensure the country is ready for extreme scenarios: a drought meaning all inland shipping is beached or a devastating storm surge.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025

The other two beached in La Jolla and Huntington Beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024

But Jeanne is coughing and choking and Jacob is gasping like a beached fish and William, great William, is sinking.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

A humpback whale rescued after beaching itself in Germany has been found dead near a Danish island.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

A humpback whale that underwent a rescue operation in Germany two weeks ago after beaching itself there has been found dead near a Danish island, officials said Saturday.

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

These beaching events confront us with a little-understood but essential facet of marine ecology — and may become more common as the oceans warm.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2024

But besides beating seasonal crowds, winter beaching has another leg up on summer: storm watching.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2024

Carefully, we inched the Miss Amanda around the sandbar without beaching her until we were directly above the deep water.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Related Words

• coast
• shore
• waterfront