An "undertow" is a steady, offshore-directed compensation flow, which occurs below waves near the shore. Physically, nearshore, the wave-induced mass flux between wave crest and trough …

The meaning of UNDERTOW is the current beneath the surface that sets seaward or along the beach when waves are breaking upon the shore. How to use undertow in a sentence.

Beachgoers feel like they are being sucked underwater when the wave breaks over their head - this is an undertow. Bathers will tumble around roughly, but this return flow only goes a short …

Undertow, a strong seaward bottom current returning the water of broken waves back out to sea. There is in fact no such current in a gross sense, for the overall flow of surface water toward …

UNDERTOW definition: 1. a strong current flowing underwater in a different direction to the way the water on the surface…. Learn more.

Definition of undertow noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. a current in the sea or ocean that moves in the opposite direction to the water near the surface. The children were …

Jun 17, 2025 · An undertow is more accurately described as the return flow of water after waves break on the shore, a shallow and relatively weak current that moves seaward near the bottom.