longshore drift

American  

noun

1. beach drift.

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longshore drift British  

noun

1. the process whereby beach material is gradually shifted laterally as a result of waves meeting the shore at an oblique angle

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Etymology

Origin of longshore drift

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Longshore drift - the movement of material along a coastline by waves - has taken protective sand and shingle westwards and exposed the cliffs say geologists.

From BBC

This natural process is called “longshore drift.”

From Washington Post

In some cases, building up one area of a beach causes erosion in other places because the natural wave action — the longshore drift — is interrupted.

From Washington Post