beach

Word family

• beachfront
  nounB2
• beachside
  adjectiveB2
• beachcomber
  nounC1
• beachwear
  nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe land beside water, but they zoom in differently. 'Beach' points to the sandy or pebbly strip where you can walk barefoot, swim, or sunbathe — it implies leisure. 'Shore' is broader and more neutral; it simply names the line where land meets water, including rocky cliffs and muddy banks. 'Coast' zooms further out: it is the long stretch of land that runs beside the sea, often discussed on maps or in geography (the east coast of Taiwan). 'Seaside' is mostly British and carries a holiday flavour — small towns, ice cream, and piers. Compare: 'They built a hotel on the beach' (right on the sand), 'a boat near the shore' (close to the edge of the water), 'a drive along the coast' (a long road by the sea).

Common collocations

Etymology

First recorded in English in the 1500s, originally meaning loose pebbles by the sea — close to the modern English word 'shingle'. Its earlier roots are unclear, but it may be linked to an Old English word for 'stream' or to dialect words for stones along a riverbank. By the 1600s the meaning had widened from the pebbles themselves to the whole stretch of sand or stones beside the water. The verb sense, meaning to pull a boat up onto land, appeared a little later as a natural extension of the noun.