rhizoverbBeta
DictionarybeachShore
noun / verb

beach

BEECH/biːtʃ/

A sandy or pebbly shore beside an ocean, lake, or river.

Small waves wash pebbles along the sandy beach.

A gently curving sandy beach with a small scatter of water-worn pebbles where shallow ocean waves meet the shore.
Etymology
beachOld Englishstream

Probably connected with Old English bece, “stream,” beach first meant water-worn shore pebbles. The name spread from the stones to pebbly shores, then to shores generally, including sandy ones.

In context

Nat Geo Animals14:00
250 miles of pebbly beach mark the boundary between ocean and desert.
Whales: Giants of the Deep Blue Oceans (Full Episode) | Documentary Special | Nat Geo Animals

More examples

  • We walked the beach before sunrise.
  • The crew beached the damaged boat.
  • Several beautiful beaches lie beyond the headland.

Forms

beach · beaches · beached · beaching

beachcomber noun — Someone searching along a shore.

Similar words

shore
Includes rocky banks and edges without sand or pebbles.
strand
A more literary word for a shore.