tide
1 Americannoun
-
the periodic rise and fall of the waters of the ocean and its inlets, produced by the attraction of the moon and sun, and occurring about every 12 hours.
-
the inflow, outflow, or current of water at any given place resulting from the waves of tides.
-
a stream or current.
-
anything that alternately rises and falls, increases and decreases, etc..
the tide of the seasons.
-
current, tendency, or drift, as of events or ideas.
the tide of international events.
-
any extreme or critical period or condition.
The tide of her illness is at its height.
-
a season or period in the course of the year, day, etc. (now used chiefly in combination).
wintertide; eventide.
-
Ecclesiastical. a period of time that includes and follows an anniversary, festival, etc.
-
Archaic. a suitable time or occasion.
-
Obsolete. an extent of time.
verb (used without object)
-
to flow as the tide; flow to and fro.
-
to float or drift with the tide.
verb (used with object)
verb phrase
idioms
verb (used without object)
noun
-
the cyclic rise and fall of sea level caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. There are usually two high tides and two low tides in each lunar day See also tide-generating force neap tide spring tide
-
the current, ebb, or flow of water at a specified place resulting from these changes in level
the tide is coming in
-
a widespread tendency or movement
the tide of resentment against the government
-
a critical point in time; turning point
the tide of his fortunes
-
dialect a fair or holiday
-
(in combination) a season or time
Christmastide
-
rare any body of mobile water, such as a stream
-
archaic a favourable opportunity
verb
-
to carry or be carried with or as if with the tide
-
(intr) to ebb and flow like the tide
verb
-
The regular rise and fall in the surface level of the Earth's oceans, seas, and bays caused by the gravitational attraction of the Moon and to a lesser extent of the Sun. The maximum high tides (or spring tides) occur when the Moon and Sun are directly aligned with Earth, so that their gravitational pull on Earth's waters is along the same line and is reinforced. The lowest high tides (or neap tides) occur when the Moon and Sun are at right angles to each other, so that their gravitational pull on Earth's waters originates from two different directions and is mitigated. Tides vary greatly by region and are influenced by sea-floor topography, storms, and water currents.
-
See also ebb tide flood tide neap tide spring tide
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tide1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English tīd “time, hour”; cognate with Dutch tijd, German Zeit, Old Norse tīth; akin to time
Origin of tide2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English tiden, Old English tīdan; see betide
Explanation
The tide is the daily rise and fall of the sea level. You can count on the regular changing patterns of the tide, unless of course a tsunami is headed your way. In a figurative sense, tide can mean a rising swell of support or unified feeling about a certain opinion or topic. So you may surf at high tide but also enjoy the rising tide of enthusiasm about surfing. If there is a wave of anything — immigration, inflation, terror — it can be referred to as a tide. No surfboards can navigate those tricky waves.
Vocabulary lists containing tide
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Physical Geography - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Seas The Day: Words That Shore Are Beachy
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
“For example, if you know the correct moon cycle to go fishing on, lay your nets on the right tide, at the right place, you will have a higher success rate.”
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
A combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the immediate coast to be flooded, the NHC said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The tide really began to turn later in the inning with two outs and the bases loaded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
But it is a race against the clock and a turning tide means the small army of people gathering the harvest eventually beats a retreat to the shore.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
I feel a mounting tide of panic—like something horrible is about to happen.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
“By understanding nature’s cycles and natural rhythms. Māori understood the connection between moon, sun, tides and seasons, the way all animals behave,” says Venner.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
His political savvy and technocratic mien positioned him as an indispensable policy expert even amid changing political tides in Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
"So you get the kind of blue tides of the by-the-wind sailors and obviously if they catch the sunlight as well it really sparkles," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
"We are seeing certain countries holding the process hostage as vulnerable people suffer heat stress, and king tides and storms, drought and famine," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
If rivers had tides, and Alex had to admit he didn’t know if they did, they didn’t seem too bad.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The invention has tided him over as the semester ended this week.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2025
The review concluded that the music of “Ukrainia” did suggest “the colossal wealth of youthful and untouched vitality which had tided over centuries of the most tragic history in the world.”
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2019
They then went back to their changing room, showered and changed, tided up, removed the rubbish and left a note for ground staff reading “thank you” in Russian.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 15, 2018
Co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss tided us over with a Victorian-set Sherlock Christmas special last winter, but we’re ready to see the modern Sherlock take on the mysteriously resurrected Moriarty.
From Time ● Jul. 20, 2016
It wasn’t enough for Vonetta to say her poem, which was actually Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem tided “We Real Cool.”
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
She was proved correct, and was tiding up broken statues when spoke to the BBC.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025
No. It’s an appetizer for better things to come, an amuse-bouche at best — at worst, a placeholder meal of cinematic comfort food, tiding us all over until it’s summer blockbuster season again.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2023
That’s not much, but it’s still the best discount available on the classic VR-reimagining of the Capcom classic, tiding you over before the new remake comes out in 2023.
From The Verge ● Jun. 20, 2022
In fact, as a thank you for Bill’s prompt and polite cooperation, Wilson said he sent him a small present, a trademark Brandon Wilson tiding of good will: a file containing 1,000 old accounts.
From New York Times ● Aug. 14, 2014
Vetch furnishes essential spring forage for bees before the alfalfa is in bloom, tiding them over this early season so that they are ready to pollinate the alfalfa.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
