adjective
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relating to, characterized by, or affected by tides
a tidal estuary
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dependent on the state of the tide
a tidal ferry
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(of a glacier) reaching the sea and discharging floes or icebergs
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tidal
Explanation
Anything tidal is related to the regular rise and fall of the sea level due to gravitational forces. A marine biologist might study the effects of tidal patterns on local sea life. Tidal conditions are caused by many things, from the rotation of the Earth to the position of the Moon, and tidal effects can be seen not just in the ocean tide itself, but in rivers, lakes, and currents, and even on the Earth's surface. A common name for a tsunami is a "tidal wave," although these earthquake-caused surges of ocean water don't actually have any connection to tides.
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.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, forecasters warned of up to 1.2 feet of inundation above ground level “in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways,” the weather service office in Monterey said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Their focus was on tidal disruption events, which occur when a star passes so close to a supermassive black hole that intense gravitational forces rip it apart.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
Scientists searched for the inclusion of the Gaelic words for oyster or oysters – eisir, eisirein and eisirean – and oyster habitats like sandy banks or tidal causeways in place names around Scotland's coast.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Heady visions of AI’s potential have uncorked a tidal wave of AI-linked borrowing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Jay was in front, running up to the tidal pool, with Doc close behind holding a big jar close to his chest.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
