Tide
TYDE
/taɪd/
The periodic alternate rising and falling of sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.
Refers to regular, predictable ocean movements, or metaphorically to powerful shifting trends.
The story behind the word. Originally meant 'time' or 'hour' in Old English (tīd). Because ocean waters rose and fell according to strict time intervals, sailors began calling the water movement 'tide'. The old sense survives in words like 'Yuletide'.
Word relationships
- current: A current is a continuous directional flow of water, whereas tide is the vertical rise and fall of water levels.
- surge: A surge is a sudden force or push of water, whereas tide is a regular gravitational cycle.
- slack water: Slack water is the short period of still water when the tide turns.
Commonly confused with
- wave: Waves are wind-generated surface ripples, while tides are global sea-level shifts caused by gravitational forces.
Word family
- tidal (adjective): relating to tides
- tideless (adjective): having no tides
Collocations
- high tide
- low tide
- rising tide
- turn of the tide
Idioms & expressions
- turn the tide (reverse a situation)
- time and tide wait for no man (time passes relentlessly)
Example sentences
- "Swimmers were advised to leave the cove before high tide blocked the exit path." Oceanography
- "There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." Literary quotation (Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)
Memory hook
TIDE is tied to TIME and the gravitational pull of the moon. Moon pulls the ocean tide on time.
When not to use
Do not confuse with individual surface waves driven by wind.
Fun facts
- The Bay of Fundy in Canada has the highest tidal range in the world, with water rising up to 53 feet (16 meters).
Also appears in
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