Idiom idiom
stem the tide
Meaning
To slow or stop the flow of something.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“We need new rules to stem the tide of complaints.”
“The government introduced emergency measures to stem the tide of rising inflation across the country.”
“Despite the heroic efforts of the medical staff to stem the tide of the epidemic, the hospital remained overwhelmed by the sheer volume of patients.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026