ETYM Cf. Swed. backe hill, Dan. bakke, Icel. bakki hill, bank. Related to Bank.
(Homonym: beech).
(Irregular plural: beaches).
An area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake.
Strip of land bordering the sea, normally consisting of boulders and pebbles on exposed coasts or sand on sheltered coasts. It is usually defined by the high- and low-water marks. A berm, a ridge of sand and pebbles, may be found at the farthest point that the water reaches.<br /> The material of the beach consists of a rocky debris eroded from exposed rocks and headlands, or carried in by rivers. The material is transported to the beach, and along the beach, by waves that hit the coastline at an angle, resulting in a net movement of the material in one particular direction. This movement is known as longshore drift. Attempts are often made to halt longshore drift by erecting barriers (groynes, at right angles to the movement. Pebbles are worn into round shapes by being battered against one another by wave action and the result is called shingle. The finer material, the sand, may be subsequently moved about by the wind form sand dunes. Apart from the natural process of longshore drift, a beach may be threatened by the commercial use of sand and aggregate, by the mineral industry—since particles of metal ore are often concentrated into workable deposits by the wave action—and by pollution (for example, by oil spilled or dumped at sea).

City in North Dakota (USA); zip code 58621.

To land on a beach, as of watercraft.