stem the tide

Idioms  

1. Stop the course of a trend or tendency, as in It is not easy to stem the tide of public opinion. This idiom uses stem in the sense of “stop” or “restrain.” [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stem the tide

Now some courts are trying to stem the tide by cracking down on the lawyers concerned.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

I observed the left parties and protesters in France working toward a broad coalition in civil society that might stem the tide of the far right.

From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026

It hasn’t done much to stem the tide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025

In order to stem the tide, the club have made 250 staff redundant and another 200 could lose their jobs in a second round of cuts announced earlier this year.

From BBC ● May 1, 2025

In the livingroom, she heard Atticus’s even voice: . . stem the tide a little bit this way . . . good thing he asked for one of the Maycomb lawyers.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee