noun
tide
tyd
noun
1
The regular rise and fall of the sea, caused mainly by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.
"The boats were stranded on the mudflats until the tide came in."
"Check the tide times before you go rock-pooling."
2
A strong general trend or current of events, opinion, or feeling.
"Public opinion turned against the policy, and the tide shifted quickly."
"The team rallied to turn the tide of the match in the final minutes."
verb
1
To help someone get through a difficult period ("tide over").
"This loan should tide us over until payday."
How to Use Tide
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe sea rising and falling on a schedule, or, more broadly, a strong shift in events or feeling.
Common pairings
high tide
low tide
turn the tide
tide someone over
Word Forms
tided past tense, tided past tense, tides plural, tides singular, tides singular
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Etymology
From Old English tīd, originally meaning "time," related to German Zeit and Dutch tijd. The sea sense developed because tides come and go at fixed, predictable times.