beach

The word “beach” means a sandy or pebbly shore along the sea or a lake. In plain terms, a sandy shoreline, or (as a verb) to pull a boat up onto land.

“Beach” is pronounced BEECH (/ˈbiːt͡ʃ/ in IPA).

Here is “beach” used in a sentence: “We spent the whole day lying on the beach.”

Words with a similar meaning to “beach” include strand.

Depending on how it is used, “beach” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “beach” comes from Old English. From an old English dialect word for a stream or sandbank, related to German "Bach" ("brook").

“Beach” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Beach” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a sandy or pebbly shore along the sea or a lake.

A beach is the specific strip of sand or pebbles right at the water's edge. The coast is the wider region where land meets sea, which may include cliffs, dunes, harbours and towns as well as beaches. Every beach is part of a coast, but a coast is much more than its beaches.

The words overlap. "Shore" is the general land bordering a sea, lake or river, whatever it is made of — rock, mud or sand. "Beach" is more specific: a shore covered in sand or pebbles, the kind you might sunbathe on. So all beaches are shores, but not all shores are beaches.

Most beaches are made of sand, but many are covered in pebbles, shingle or larger stones instead. The material comes from rock and shells worn down over long periods by waves and weather. Colour varies too — from pale gold to black volcanic sand — depending on the local rock.

Any sandy or pebbly stretch along the sea or a lake is a beach — from a busy seaside resort where people swim and sunbathe to a quiet cove reached only on foot. Famous examples include the long sandy shores of the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Australia's coastline.