undertow
the seaward, subsurface flow or draft of water from waves breaking on a beach.
any strong current below the surface of a body of water, moving in a direction different from that of the surface current.
Origin of undertow
1synonym study For undertow
Words Nearby undertow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use undertow in a sentence
There is an undertow of grimness to the story, one that could have dragged it under entirely if not for a hilariously absurd final scene.
Breaking Down the Mostly Real Science Behind Don’t Look Up | Jeffrey Kluger | December 21, 2021 | TimeThis undertow, of violence and duplicitousness and frustration, paradoxically propels the book forward.
Teju Cole’s Keen Eye Spares No One—Himself Included | Benjamin Lytal | July 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut life itself is messy and unceremonious; it cannot stop too long for death without losing itself to the undertow.
"All along the undertow is strengthening its hold," Cuomo sang.
Remembering Weezer’s ‘The Blue Album,’ A Garage Rock Classic, on Its 20th Anniversary | Andrew Romano | May 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSeven days after Flight 370 disappeared, the families of those on board are stuck in an undertow of uncertainty.
The Flight 370 Paradox: How Do You Mourn a Missing Person? | Abby Haglage | March 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Given the frustration in the international community, Israel must reverse an undertow of isolation.
Full Video and Transcript of Obama's Speech in Israel | Justin Green | March 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe tide was coming in strongly, and presently the fatal undertow would sweep him out to sea.
They Looked and Loved | Mrs. Alex McVeigh MillerThe reality of human progress never comes to the surface, it is a power in the deeps, an undertow.
The New Machiavelli | Herbert George WellsHere the water is as brown as oatmeal, and the undertow sucks out the boat again.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 2 (of 2) | Sven HedinWhat was a distant rumble soon became a near-by, long undertow of ominous sound.
Little Busybodies | Jeanette Augustus Marks and Julia MoodyThe Captain dug his toes into the sand and braced himself as the undertow sucked back.
Cap'n Eri | Joseph Crosby Lincoln
British Dictionary definitions for undertow
/ (ˈʌndəˌtəʊ) /
the seaward undercurrent following the breaking of a wave on the beach
any strong undercurrent flowing in a different direction from the surface current
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for undertow
[ ŭn′dər-tō′ ]
An underwater current flowing strongly away from shore. Undertows are generally caused by the seaward return of water from waves that have broken against the shore.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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