tidal

adjective

tid·​al ˈtī-dᵊl How to pronounce tidal (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, caused by, or having tides
tidal cycles
tidal erosion
b
: periodically rising and falling or flowing and ebbing
tidal waters
2
: dependent (as to the time of arrival or departure) upon the state of the tide
a tidal steamer
tidally adverb

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The expedition’s aim: to find a subterranean canyon where a tidal river washed over black sand fabulously rich in gold. Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023 By absorbing the tidal energy, the team’s MetaReef managed to reduce wave amplitudes by as much as 80 percent. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2023 And the way to do that has to be through low-carbon energies, ideally wind, solar, tidal, hydro, or nuclear. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Apr. 2023 The state’s lawsuit references numerous inspections at the facility from September 2021 to last month, all of which uncovered acidic discharges into the Jones Falls, a tributary of the Inner Harbor and the tidal Patapsco River. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2023 The barrier islands are landforms that developed from the buildup of tidal sand deposits. Sara Novak, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2023 But this is exactly why these islands have such extraordinary sandbars: The shifting currents reveal islands of sand at the same place and time during each tidal cycle. Noelle Khalila Nicolls, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2023 Those with seawalls so low that tidal flooding breaches the seawall and sends water into neighboring yards and nearby roadways. Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2023 Some also makes it to the coast and enters the tidal marshes, estuaries, bays and oceans. cleveland, 30 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tidal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tidal was in 1807

Dictionary Entries Near tidal

Cite this Entry

“Tidal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tidal. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

tidal

adjective
tid·​al ˈtīd-ᵊl How to pronounce tidal (audio)
: of or relating to tides : rising and falling or flowing and ebbing at regular times

Medical Definition

tidal

adjective
tid·​al ˈtīd-ᵊl How to pronounce tidal (audio)
: of, relating to, or constituting tidal air
interference with the normal tidal exchange of the lungsF. R. Mautz & R. M. Hosler

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