tide
1- 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.
- flood tide.
- 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.
- to flow as the tide; flow to and fro.
- to float or drift with the tide.
- to carry, as the tide does.
- tide over,
- to assist in getting over a period of difficulty or distress.
- to surmount (a difficulty, obstacle, etc.); survive.
- turn the tide, to reverse the course of events, especially from one extreme to another: The Battle of Saratoga turned the tide of the American Revolution.
Origin of tide
1tide
2- to happen or befall.
Origin of tide
2Related Words for tides
stream, trend, undercurrent, spate, wave, flood, torrent, tendency, drag, rush, run, ebb, course, drift, vortex, sluice, eddy, race, flux, directionExamples from the Web for tides
Contemporary Examples of tides
But the end of Viagra as we know it signals more than just a change in the tides for Big Pharma.
Surely there will be villainous pirates, distracting mermaids, tides change in the new open water chapter of my journey.
Lindsay Mills, Edward Snowden’s Girlfriend, Writes ‘All I Feel Is Alone’Caroline Linton
June 11, 2013
Underneath the most placid waters, there are vicious currents and tides, and underwater volcanoes that are constantly erupting.
The tides of the oceans are created by the gravatational pull of the moon.
The ship now shifts slightly with the rise and fall of the low Mediterranean tides, moving about a millimeter an hour.
Historical Examples of tides
At the foot of “The Rapids” the effect of the spring tides is barely perceptible.
The Long Labrador TrailDillon Wallace
Into these tides I was now drawn down—and it did me some good and a great deal of harm.
The HarborErnest Poole
All his life he was an observer of the weather, and a student of the winds and tides.
Benjamin FranklinPaul Elmer More
At low spring tides the most beautiful corals and shells are found.
The Last VoyageLady (Annie Allnutt) Brassey
The tides have gradually filled their shallow harbors with silt.
England, Picturesque and DescriptiveJoel Cook
tide
1- 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 daySee also tide-generating force, neap tide, spring tide
- the current, ebb, or flow of water at a specified place resulting from these changes in levelthe tide is coming in
- See ebb (def. 3), flood (def. 3)
- a widespread tendency or movementthe tide of resentment against the government
- a critical point in time; turning pointthe tide of his fortunes
- Northern English dialect a fair or holiday
- (in combination) a season or timeChristmastide
- rare any body of mobile water, such as a stream
- archaic a favourable opportunity
- to carry or be carried with or as if with the tide
- (intr) to ebb and flow like the tide
Word Origin for tide
tide
2- (intr) archaic to happen
Word Origin for tide
Word Origin and History for tides
tide
Old English tid "point or portion of time, due time," from Proto-Germanic *tidiz "division of time" (cf. Old Saxon tid, Dutch tijd, Old High German zit, German Zeit "time"), from PIE *di-ti- "division, division of time," suffixed form of root *da- "to divide, cut up" (cf. Sanskrit dati "cuts, divides;" Greek demos "people, land," perhaps literally "division of society;" daiesthai "to divide;" Old Irish dam "troop, company").
Meaning "rise and fall of the sea" (mid-14c.) is probably via notion of "fixed time," specifically "time of high water;" either a native evolution or from Middle Low German getide (cf. also Dutch tij, German Gezeiten "flood tide"). Old English seems to have had no specific word for this, using flod and ebba to refer to the rise and fall. Old English heahtid "high tide" meant "festival, high day."
tide
"to carry (as the tide does)," 1620s, from tide (n.). Usually with over. Related: Tided; tiding.
tide
(tīd)- An alternate increase and decrease, as of levels of a substance in the blood or digestive tract.
tide
- 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.
tides
Note
Idioms and Phrases with tides
tide
In addition to the idiom beginning with tide
- tide over
also see:
- stem the tide
- swim against the current (tide)
- swim with the tide
- time and tide
- turn of the tide