tide
tide — noun
1. The ocean level climbs and falls roughly twice a day as a result of gravity pull
The ocean level climbs and falls roughly twice a day as a result of gravity pulling between Earth, the moon, and the sun.
At low tide, Noa could see rocks on the sand that were usually underwater.
low tide / high tide — paired collocations
Takeshi waited for the tide to turn before taking the small boat out.
the tide turns — change from rising to falling
The tide comes in and covers the whole beach twice a day in this area.
Haruto checked the tide table to find the best time for swimming near the rocks.
Strong waves crashed against the pier as the evening tide rose higher and higher.
- high tide
- low tide
- incoming tide
- outgoing tide
- tide turns
- tide comes in
- tide goes out
Grammar Patterns
the tide
Usage Note
Often paired with 'high', 'low', 'rising', 'falling', 'incoming', or 'outgoing' to specify the stage of the tidal cycle.
Common Mistakes
2. A powerful movement in the way people think or act, or a growing amount of somet
A powerful movement in the way people think or act, or a growing amount of something, especially something difficult or unwanted.
The government introduced new laws to stop the rising tide of crime in the city.
the tide of [crime/violence/opposition] — figurative quantity
A tide of anger swept through the crowd after the mayor's unexpected announcement.
a tide of [anger/relief/emotion] — sudden strong feeling
Shirin felt a tide of relief when the exam results showed she had passed.
The tide of support at the meeting turned against the plan after Femi spoke.
Mateo struggled against the tide of negative comments on his social media post.
- tide of
- rising tide
- turn the tide
- tide turns
- stem the tide
- swept along by the tide
Grammar Patterns
the tide of [something]
Usage Note
Frequently appears with 'of' + a noun describing the situation (e.g. 'tide of violence', 'tide of support'). The verb 'turn' is common: 'the tide turned' means the situation began to change in the opposite direction.
Common Mistakes
To share or oppose the beliefs and behaviors that are common in society at a particular time.
Maya decided to go against the tide and start her own business.
Are you swimming with the tide or against it in this election?
A situation where someone's luck or success changes direction, usually from bad to good.
The tide turned for the team after they scored the first goal.
Can we turn the tide with this new marketing strategy?
tide — verb
1. To move forward strongly and steadily like a rising tide; used mainly for feelin
To move forward strongly and steadily like a rising tide; used mainly for feelings, ideas, or crowds that spread or advance in a powerful surge.
A wave of relief tided through the room when the lost child was found safe.
tide through — movement of feeling through a space
New ideas about clean energy began to tide through the company after the conference.
Excitement tided into the stadium when the team scored a last-minute goal.
Élise felt hope tide through her chest as she heard the doctor's encouraging words.
- tide through
- tide into
Grammar Patterns
tide through [something]
tide into [something]
Usage Note
Considered literary or poetic in modern English. More common as a metaphor than in literal descriptions of water movement.
2. To carry something forward by the natural movement of the tide, so that it float
To carry something forward by the natural movement of the tide, so that it floats or drifts in the direction of the tidal flow.
A small wooden boat was tided along by the strong morning current towards open water.
passive: be tided along — carried by tidal movement
Pieces of driftwood were tided towards the shore as the water level kept rising.
The broken kayak was tided slowly into the harbour by the incoming sea.
Leaves and branches were tided along the canal after the heavy rain flooded the banks.
- tided along
- tided towards
- tided into
Grammar Patterns
be tided along
be tided towards
Usage Note
Almost always used in the passive voice ('was tided', 'were tided'). The active form ('the tide tided the boat') is extremely rare in modern English.
tide over
phrasal verbTo help someone get through a difficult period, especially by providing enough money, food, or support until conditions improve.
Harper lent Niran some money to tide him over until his next pay cheque arrived.
These snacks will tide us over until dinner is ready in about an hour.
turn the tide
idiomTo change a situation completely, especially from a bad state to a better one, or to reverse the direction of events.
The new coach turned the tide for the team, leading them from last place to the championship.
A single scientific discovery can turn the tide in the fight against a deadly disease.
To go against the general opinion or what most people are doing; to behave or think in a way that is not popular.
By refusing to use social media, Gita was swimming against the tide among her classmates.
The politician swam against the tide by opposing a very popular new law.
go with the tide
idiomTo follow what everyone else is doing or thinking, rather than making an independent choice.
Jude usually goes with the tide and wears whatever his friends are wearing.
Jin went with the tide at the department meeting and agreed to the new schedule.
tide — suffix
1. A word ending used in some traditional expressions to mean a particular season,
A word ending used in some traditional expressions to mean a particular season, festival period, or part of a day.
Christmastide is the period from Christmas Eve to the beginning of January in many traditions.
Christmastide — festival period suffix
In old poems, eventide means the time of evening or dusk.
The family gathers every year during Eastertide to share meals and attend church services.
Noontide is an old word for midday, sometimes found in literature from past centuries.
The poet described the beauty of morning-tide when the sun first appeared over the hills.
Grammar Patterns
[noun] + -tide
Usage Note
This suffix is not productive — you cannot attach '-tide' to modern time words to create new terms. The existing compounds ('Christmastide', 'Eastertide', 'eventide', 'noontide') are fixed, traditional vocabulary.