stem the tide
idiom
: to stop something from continuing and increasing
—+ of
We have to do something to stem the tide of violence.
Examples of stem the tide in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Whip-Purs hung around, though, before Braden made some big plays to stem the tide.
—
Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
While fans may clamor for a salary cap, recent MLB spending on free agents does not indicate any type of appetite to stem the tide of increasing player payrolls in Major League Baseball.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Vanderbilt takes a timeout to stem the tide.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026
The deluge of threats that engulfed the district left administrators and teachers feeling helpless to stem the tide of harassment and shows how quickly social media storms can upend a small community based on a single image taken out of context and incorrectly tied to a political motive.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stem the tide
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Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
While fans may clamor for a salary cap, recent MLB spending on free agents does not indicate any type of appetite to stem the tide of increasing player payrolls in Major League Baseball.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Vanderbilt takes a timeout to stem the tide.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026
The deluge of threats that engulfed the district left administrators and teachers feeling helpless to stem the tide of harassment and shows how quickly social media storms can upend a small community based on a single image taken out of context and incorrectly tied to a political motive.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stem the tide
Cite this Entry
“Stem the tide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stem%20the%20tide. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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