Meaning & use
tide pool
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A small area of seawater left between rocks on the shore after the tide goes out.
Grammar: Countable: a tide pool, two tide pools. Often written as one word (tidepool) in American English.
Patterns
- in a tide pool
- explore the tide pools
- a tide pool at low tide
At low tide we explored the tide pools and found starfish and crabs.
The children peered into a shallow tide pool full of tiny fish.
Sea anemones often live in tide pools along this coast.
nouncountabletechnical
A shallow artificial pool filled with seawater where sea animals are kept for study or display.
Grammar: Countable; used especially in marine biology and at aquariums.
Patterns
- a touch tank and tide pool
- study animals in a tide pool
The aquarium has a tide pool where visitors can touch sea urchins.
Students recorded the water temperature in the artificial tide pool.
Word forms
| plural | tide pools |
|---|---|
| alternative spelling | tidepool |
Common combinations
- a rocky tide pool
- A rocky tide pool is a good place to look for small crabs.
- explore tide pools
- We explored tide pools all morning at the nature reserve.
- at low tide
- The best shells appear in the pools at low tide.
- a tide pool habitat
- The guide explained why a tide pool habitat is so crowded with life.
- tide pool creatures
- She photographed tide pool creatures for her biology project.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rock pool
- Rock pool is the usual British term for the same thing; tide pool is more common in American English and in scientific writing.
- pool
- Pool is the general word for any small area of water; tide pool specifically refers to one left by the sea among rocks.
Word family
Commonly confused: tide pool or tidal pool? tide pool or tidewater?
tide pool vs tidal pool
Tidal pool means the same thing and is correct, but tide pool is the more familiar form.
tide pool vs tidewater
Tidewater means water in a river or bay that rises and falls with the tide, not a small pool among rocks.
Practice
Which sentence uses tide pool correctly?
Choose one answer.
A tide pool is a small pool of seawater trapped among rocks after the tide goes out, so option 1 fits. The others describe a swimming spot, a wave, or a place for a boat, none of which matches the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tide pool”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.