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

Examples of tidal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To prevent tidal flooding, the city is considering an 8-mile seawall to protect from storm surges. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2024 The Moon Is Even Older Than Scientists Thought The answer: tidal heating. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 The carcass of a gray whale was found in the Bolsa Chica tidal inlet on Thursday, Feb. 8, with authorities on site to investigate the death of the marine mammal. Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024 One explanation for why the ocean has appeared now is that Mimas had interactions with other moons that increased the eccentricity of its orbit and thus increased the tidal forces. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2024 If so, perhaps Enceladus is a microcosm of the universe: a serendipitous combination of tidal heating and radioactivity. WIRED, 24 Dec. 2023 Just west of the eponymous county seat, Montaña de Oro State Park is a particularly notable spot thanks to its high concentration of poppies, while its scenic beaches also hold added opportunity for marine wildlife lovers thanks to its many tidal pools. Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 This spectacular site is actually a large tidal pool on the south coast of Maine and the surrounding seaside village all but guarantees a picture-perfect beach day. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2024 Also featured are local artist Jacqui Crocetta’s pretty but ominous paintings of beaches and tidal pools contaminated by stray plastic, which are often painted on actual plastic (from the same series recently shown at the McLean Project for the Arts). Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024

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 28 Mar. 2024.

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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