coasts and beaches

beach

beach [beach beaches beached beaching] noun, verb   [biːtʃ]    [biːtʃ] 

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
 
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’.  
Culture:
seaside and beach
In 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, Clacton-on-Sea 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 the occasional Punch and Judy show. In the early 1900s it became popular to send seaside postcards to friends. Children bought seaside rock, a long sugary sweet with the name of the place printed through it.
Most British people like to go to the sea for a day out or for a weekend. Resorts like Blackpool are still popular, but others are run-down and rather quiet. British people now prefer to go on holiday to beach resorts in Spain, Greece or the Caribbean because the weather is more likely to be sunny and warm.
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.
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 sun cream or sun block to protect their skin. A day at the beach often also involves a picnic meal or, especially in the US, a barbecue (= meat cooked over an open fire). 
Thesaurus:
beach noun C
• They were sunbathing on the beach.
seashore • • sand • • shoreline • • lakeside • • shore • • coast • • coastline • |especially BrE seaside • • sea • |AmE ocean •
on the beach/seashore/sand/shoreline/lakeside/shore/coast/coastline
at the beach/seashore/coast/seaside
by the seashore/lakeside/shore/coast/seaside/sea/ocean
go to the beach/seashore/coast/seaside/sea/ocean
Beach or seashore? Beach is usually used about a sandy area next to the sea, where people lie in the sun or play. Seashore is used more to talk about the area by the sea where people walk for pleasure
• He liked to look for shells on the seashore.
 
Synonyms:
coast
beach • seaside • coastline • sand • seashore
These are all words for the land beside or near to the sea, a river or a lake.
coast • the land beside or near to the sea or ocean: ▪ a town on the south coast of England ◊ ▪ The coast road is closed due to bad weather.
It is nearly always the coast, except when it is uncountable: ▪ That's a pretty stretch of coast.
beach • an area of sand, or small stones, beside the sea or a lake: ▪ She took the kids to the beach for the day. ◊ ▪ sandy beaches
seaside • (especially BrE) an area that is by the sea, especially one where people go for a day or a holiday: ▪ a trip to the seaside
It is always the seaside, except when it is used before a noun: ▪ a seaside resort. The seaside is British English; in American English seaside is only used before a noun.
coastline • the land along a coast, especially when you are thinking of its shape or appearance: ▪ California's rugged coastline
sand • a large area of sand on a beach: ▪ We went for a walk along the sand. ◊ ▪ a resort with miles of golden sands
the seashore • the land along the edge of the sea or ocean, usually where there is sand and rocks: ▪ He liked to look for shells on the seashore.
beach or seashore?
Beach is usually used to talk about a sandy area next to the sea where people lie in the sun or play, for example when they are on holiday/vacation. Seashore is used more to talk about the area by the sea in terms of things such as waves, sea shells, rocks, etc, especially where people walk for pleasure.
along the coast/beach/coastline/seashore
on the coast/beach/coastline/sands/seashore
at the coast/beach/seaside/seashore
by the coast/seaside/seashore
a(n) rocky/unspoiled coast/beach/coastline
to go to the coast/beach/seaside/seashore 
Example Bank:
• He walked along the beach.
• She lay on the beach and read her book.
• The island group has over 230 miles of pristine tropical beaches.
• They met at the beach.
• They sat on a grassy hill overlooking the beach.
• a beautiful golden beach stretching for miles
• She met him in a beach bar.
• She took the kids to the beach for the day.
• There are miles of beautiful sandy beaches.
• To the south is West Bay, a small port with a shingle beach.

• We could see tourists sunbathing on the beach.