Tidal wave Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an overwhelming manifestation of some emotion or phenomenon
    • a tidal wave of nausea
    • the flood of letters hit him with the force of a tidal wave
    • a tidal wave of crime
  2. noun an unusual (and often destructive) rise of water along the seashore caused by a storm or a combination of wind and high tide
  3. noun a wave resulting from the periodic flow of the tides that is caused by the gravitational attraction of the moon and sun

WordNet

Definitions
  1. . (a) See Tide wave, under Tide. Cf. 4th Bore. (b) A vast, swift wave caused by an earthquake or some extraordinary combination of natural causes. It rises far above high-water mark and is often very destructive upon low-lying coasts.

Webster 1913