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beach

1 American  
[beech] / bitʃ /

noun

  1. an expanse of sand or pebbles along a shore.

  2. the part of the shore of an ocean, sea, large river, lake, etc., washed by the tide or waves.

    Synonyms:
    littoral, strand, seashore, coast

  3. the area adjacent to a seashore.

    We're vacationing at the beach.

verb (used with object)

  1. Nautical. to haul or run onto a beach.

    We beached the ship to save it.

  2. to make inoperative or unemployed.

    Synonyms:
    ground
Beach 2 American  
[beech] / bitʃ /

noun

  1. Alfred Ely, 1826–96, U.S. editor, publisher, and inventor.

  2. Amy Marcey Cheney 1867–1944, U.S. composer and pianist.

  3. Moses Yale, 1800–68, U.S. newspaper publisher.

  4. Rex Ellingwood 1877–1949, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

  5. Sylvia Woodbridge, 1887–1962, U.S. bookseller and publisher in France.

beach British  
/ biːtʃ /

noun

  1. an extensive area of sand or shingle sloping down to a sea or lake, esp the area between the high- and low-water marks on a seacoast

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to run or haul (a boat) onto a beach

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
beach Scientific  
/ bēch /

  1. The area of accumulated sand, stone, or gravel deposited along a shore by the action of waves and tides. Beaches usually slope gently toward the body of water they border and have a concave shape. They extend landward from the low water line to the point where there is a distinct change in material (as in a line of vegetation) or in land features (as in a cliff).

Related Words

See shore 1.

Other Word Forms

  • beachless adjective
  • unbeached adjective

Etymology

Origin of beach

First recorded in 1525–35; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In a video posted on Saturday on a beach full of sunbathers, real estate consultant Deepti Mallik struck a reassuring tone, telling viewers that there is "nothing to be scared of".

From Barron's

In a statement, HM Coastguard said the pilot was the only person on board and had been "able to self-recover to the beach and was checked over by the ambulance service".

From BBC

The Beach Boys opened Brother Studio around 1974 near the corner of 5th Street and Broadway, just a few blocks from the beach.

From Los Angeles Times

Last year, she starred in “Lamento,” a musical short film made inside an abandoned Guatemalan beach resort; once a popular seaside destination known as Turicentro Likin, it is now tucked away behind the mangroves.

From Los Angeles Times

And then I get to wear this gold one on the beach where she gets to let loose and ride off into the sunset when she’s an actress that probably doesn’t get that escapism.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.