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.
The researchers used a method known as tidal tomography to study how these gravitational signatures change over time and to build a model of the planet's interior.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
But the greatest concentration of farms is along the 19-mile tidal Damariscotta, the site of oyster feasts for thousands of years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
The runner-up was the Buttermere Circular Path in the Lake District, followed by the tidal Holy Island Causeway off the coast of Northumberland.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The San Francisco tidal gauge, for instance, is expected to see the high tide at 1.5 feet above normal just after 9 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
But once the bout was over, another tidal wave of exhaustion would hit me.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
