/ biːtʃ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
an area of sand, or small stones (called shingle ), beside the sea or a lake :
tourists sunbathing on the beach
a sandy / pebble / shingle beach
a beach bar
➡ note at coast
■ verb
to come or bring sth out of the water and onto the beach :
[ vn ]
He beached the boat and lifted the boy onto the shore.
a beached whale (= one that has become stuck on land and cannot get back into the water)
[also v ]
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (denoting shingle on the seashore): perhaps related to Old English bæce , bece brook (an element that survives in place names such as Wis bech and Sand bach ), assuming an intermediate sense pebbly river valley .