- an area of sand or small stones (called shingle), next to the sea or a lake
- on the beach tourists sunbathing on the beach
- to the beach He decided to go to the beach for a swim.
- at the beach She often spent summer days at the beach.
- a sandy beach
- a pebble/shingle beach
- a beach bar
- We rented an airy apartment at a beach resort.
Synonyms coastcoastbeach ▪ seaside ▪ shore ▪ coastline ▪ sand ▪ seashoreThese are all words for the land beside or near to the sea, a river or a lake.coast the land next to or near to the sea or ocean:- a town on the south coast of Georgia
- The coast road is closed due to bad weather.
- She took the kids to the beach for the day.
- sandy beaches
- a trip to the seaside
- Let's go to the shore.
- The reef runs along the island's north shore.
- California’s rugged coastline
- We went for a walk along the sand.
- a resort with miles of golden sands
- He liked to look for shells on the seashore.
- along the coast/beach/shore/coastline/seashore
- on the coast/beach/shore/coastline/sands/seashore
- at the coast/beach/seaside/shore/seashore
- by the coast/seaside/shore/seashore
- a(n) rocky/unspoiled coast/beach/shore/coastline
- to go to the coast/beach/seaside/shore/seashore
Culture the seasidethe seasideIn the 18th century British people started going to the seaside for pleasure and for their health. Seaside towns such as Brighton, Lyme Regis and Scarborough became fashionable with the upper class. Bathing in the sea became popular and bathing machines were invented for people to get changed in. Later, towns like Blackpool and Margate, which were close to industrial areas or to London, developed into large seaside resorts to which workers went for a day out or for their holiday. Long piers were built stretching out to sea and soon had a wide range of amusements built on them. Promenades were built along the shore for people to walk along. Rows of beach huts and chalets (= buildings where people could get changed or sit and have tea) took the place of bathing machines, and deckchairs were for hire on the beach. There were ice-cream sellers, whelk stalls, stalls selling buckets and spades for children to build sandcastles, and Punch and Judy shows. In the early 1900s it became popular to send seaside postcards to friends. Children bought seaside rock (= a long sweet with the name of the place printed through it).Most British people still like to go to the sea for a day out or for a weekend. Resorts like Blackpool continue to be popular, but others are no longer well maintained and rather quiet. British people now prefer to go on holiday to beach resorts in, for example, Spain, Greece or the Caribbean because the weather is more likely to be hot.Americans talk of going to the ocean or the beach, rather than the seaside. Some places, especially on the East coast, have very popular beaches and people travel long distances to go there. Florida is especially popular and at spring break (= a holiday in the spring for high school and college students) it is full of students. It is common for there to be a boardwalk (= a path made of wooden boards) on the beach.Beach activities include swimming, surfing and windsurfing, also called sailboarding . Many people go to the beach but never go into the water. They spend their time playing games like volleyball (= hitting a large ball backwards and forwards over a net) and Frisbee (= throwing a flat plastic disc). Other people go to the beach to get a tan and spend all their time sunbathing . Many people worry about getting skin cancer if they get burnt by the sun and so put on suncream or sunblock to protect their skin. A day at the beach often also involves a picnic or, especially in the US, a barbecue (= meat cooked over an open fire).Extra ExamplesTopics Holidaysa1, Geographya1- He walked along the beach.
- She took the kids to the beach for the day.
- She lay on the beach and read her book.
- We could see tourists sunbathing on the beach.
- They met at the beach.
- They sat on a grassy hill overlooking the beach.
- There are miles of beautiful sandy beaches.
- The resort has a beautiful golden beach stretching for miles.
- The island group has over 230 miles of pristine tropical beaches.
- To the south is West Bay, a small port with a shingle beach.
- They met in a beach bar.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- beautiful
- fine
- lovely
- …
- overlook
- stretch
- towel
- umbrella
- house
- …
- along a/the beach
- at a/the beach
- on a/the beach
- …
Word Originmid 16th cent. (denoting shingle on the seashore): perhaps related to Old English bæce, bece ‘brook’ (an element that survives in place names such as Wisbech and Sandbach), assuming an intermediate sense ‘pebbly river valley’.Want to learn more?
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