ashore
Americanadverb
-
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.
About six to eight hours after coming ashore, the seals' heart rates surged, sometimes climbing as high as 84 beats per minute.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2026
The Hondius, she highlighted, was an expedition vessel, with passengers going ashore on Atlantic islands to do birdwatching and other activities -- meaning there could be "some source of infection on the islands".
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
Then they’ll bring the astronauts back ashore as the Murtha slowly returns to San Diego.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Thompson said that recent reports of dead and dying seabirds washing ashore in large numbers from Spain to Scotland, is "devastating".
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
“It’s the rockets,” she said; “there must be a ship gone ashore there in the bay.”
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
