neap tides

Noun

neap tide (plural neap tides)

1. The tide which occurs just after the first and third quarters of the moon, when there is least difference between high tide and low tide.
   • Spring tides occur when the Sun and Moon line up, since the gravities of the two bodies add together to create larger tidal forces. Neap tides occur when the Sun and Moon are at right angles to one another as seen from Earth. In this case, the gravitational forces counteract each other, creating...1992 July, Neil F. Comins, “A New Slant on Earth”, in Astronomy, volume 20, number 7, page 44

   Antonyms:

   spring tide