ashore
Americanadverb
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to the shore; onto the shore.
The schooner was driven ashore.
-
on the shore; on land rather than at sea or on the water.
The captain has been ashore for two hours.
adverb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of ashore
Explanation
When you go ashore, you move from the water to the land, usually in a boat. When you've tired of canoeing, you can paddle back to the edge of the lake and go ashore. An old rowboat might wash ashore, drifting up on the beach, or you might bring your kayak ashore after paddling from one island to another. You can also talk about being ashore after spending time on a boat or ship: "I'm ashore until Friday, and then I head back out on the cruise ship." The roots are a-, "to" or "toward," and shore, from the Middle Low German schōre, "shore, coast, or headland."
Vocabulary lists containing ashore
"Hitching a Ride"
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"Not-So-Starry Nights: Light Pollution Turns Night into Day"
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The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The team found a news article about other human remains washing ashore in 1999 a few miles south of Bodega Bay, about four miles from Salmon Creek State Beach, according to the release.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
He added that parts of a damaged life raft, an barrel of lubricants and footwear had washed ashore, and officials were trying to establish if they were from the sunk Dena.
From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026
The colonizers, four Chagossians aged 31 to 72, clambered aboard a dinghy and came ashore, waving British and American flags.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Motin and the remaining Solong crew abandoned ship and were brought ashore in Grimsby where the defendant messaged his wife, saying he would be "guilty".
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026
Smiling, he went ashore with Captain Prince and Mr. Cheevers to bargain for their cargo of coffee.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
