tide

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The regular rise and fall of the sea, caused mainly by the pull of the moon and sun.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with the definite article: the tide comes in twice a day.

   Patterns

   • the tide comes in
   • the tide goes out
   • high tide
   • low tide

   The tide comes in quickly here, so don't leave your towel too close to the water.

   We checked the tide before planning our walk across the sand.

   At high tide, the beach is almost completely covered.

2. 2nounsingularfigurative

   A strong movement or change in what most people think or do; a trend.

   Grammar: Used in the singular with 'the', often followed by 'of' and a noun: the tide of opinion.

   Patterns

   • the tide of something
   • turn the tide
   • the tide turns

   The tide of public opinion turned against the new law.

   His speech helped turn the tide in favor of the reform.

   We must act before the tide of events makes change impossible.

Word forms

Common combinations

high tide

High tide is at 4 p.m. today.

low tide

At low tide, you can walk to the island.

the tide comes in

The tide comes in fast along this coast.

the tide goes out

The tide goes out and leaves pools of water.

turn the tide

The goal turned the tide of the match.

Synonyms and how they differ

current

A current is a continuous flow of water in one direction, not the regular rise and fall.

tendency

Tendency is a weaker, more general word for a trend; tide suggests a stronger, changing force.

Word family

tidal adjective

Relating to tides, as in tidal wave or tidal river.

Commonly confused: tide or tied?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tide”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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