tidal force
noun
the gravitational pull exerted by a celestial body that raises the tides on another body within the gravitational field, dependent on the varying distance between the bodies.
Words nearby tidal force
tidal bulge,
tidal datum,
tidal drainage,
tidal energy,
tidal flat,
tidal force,
tidal light,
tidal pool,
tidal power,
tidal volume,
tidal wave
Scientific definitions for tidal force
tidal force
A secondary effect of the gravitational forces between two objects orbiting each other, such as the Earth and the Moon, that tends to elongate each body along the axis of a line connecting their centers. Tidal forces are responsible for the fluctuation of the tides as well as for the synchronous rotation of certain moons as they orbit their planets.