shore

1
[ shawr, shohr ]
See synonyms for shore on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the land along the edge of a sea, lake, broad river, etc.

  2. some particular country: my native shore.

  1. land, as opposed to sea or water: a marine serving on shore.

  2. Law. the space between the ordinary high-water and low-water mark.

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or located on land, especially land along the edge of a body of water: a marine on shore duty.

Origin of shore

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English score, Old English scora (recorded only in place names); cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German schore; perhaps akin to shear

synonym study For shore

1. Shore, bank, beach, coast refer to an edge of land abutting on an ocean, lake, or other large body of water. Shore is the general word: The ship reached shore. Bank denotes the land along a river or other watercourse, sometimes steep but often not: The river flows between its banks. Beach refers to sandy or pebbly margins along a shore, especially those made wider at ebb tide: a private beach for bathers. Coast applies only to land along an ocean: the Pacific coast.

Other words for shore

Other definitions for shore (2 of 4)

shore2
[ shawr, shohr ]

noun
  1. a supporting post or beam with auxiliary members, especially one placed obliquely against the side of a building, a ship in drydock, or the like; prop; strut.

verb (used with object),shored, shor·ing.
  1. to support by or as if by a shore or shores; prop (usually followed by up): to shore up a roof; government subsidies to shore up falling corn prices.

Origin of shore

2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun shore, score; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schore “prop”; the verb is derivative of the noun

Other words for shore

Other definitions for shore (3 of 4)

shore3
[ shawr, shohr ]

verb (used with object),shored, shor·ing.Scot. and North England.
  1. to threaten (someone).

  2. to offer or proffer (something).

Origin of shore

3
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (Scots ) schore, of uncertain origin and meaning

Other definitions for Shore (4 of 4)

Shore
[ shawr, shohr ]

noun
  1. Jane, 1445?–1527, mistress of Edward IV of England.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shore in a sentence

  • Their jobs are being revolutionized by information technology or off shored to English-speaking Indians.

  • The U.N. speech shored up his domestic political base, but at a cost.

    Obama’s Weak Mideast-Peace Hand | P.J. Crowley | September 23, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • He found himself in the mouth of a low passage, unpaved and shored up with rough timbers in the manner of a mine-working.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • Its sides were formed sometimes of shored planking set on end, but more often of withes cunningly wattled together.

    The Glory of The Coming | Irvin S. Cobb
  • It was as though someone had shored up the house with a frame of metal and then laboriously concealed the evidence.

  • It was shored up with tamarac poles and when the camp was abandoned Paul pulled up this cribbing.

  • The walls were cut in the rock, and the roof here and there shored up with heavy timber props.

    The Air Pirate | Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull

British Dictionary definitions for shore (1 of 3)

shore1

/ (ʃɔː) /


noun
  1. the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or wide river: Related adjective: littoral

    • land, as opposed to water (esp in the phrase on shore)

    • (as modifier): shore duty

  1. law the tract of coastland lying between the ordinary marks of high and low water

  2. (often plural) a country: his native shores

verb
  1. (tr) to move or drag (a boat) onto a shore

Origin of shore

1
C14: probably from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schōre; compare Old High German scorra cliff; see shear

British Dictionary definitions for shore (2 of 3)

shore2

/ (ʃɔː) /


noun
  1. a prop, post, or beam used to support a wall, building, ship in dry dock, etc

verb
  1. (tr often foll by up) to prop or make safe with or as if with a shore

Origin of shore

2
C15: from Middle Dutch schōre; related to Old Norse skortha prop

Derived forms of shore

  • shoring, noun

British Dictionary definitions for shore (3 of 3)

shore3

/ (ʃɔː) /


verb
  1. Australian and NZ a past tense of shear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012