foreshore

American  

[fawr-shawr, fohr-shohr] / ˈfɔrˌʃɔr, ˈfoʊrˌʃoʊr /

noun

1. the ground between the water's edge and cultivated land; land along the edge of a body of water.

2. the part of the shore between the high-water mark and low-water mark.

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foreshore British  

/ ˈfɔːˌʃɔː /

noun

1. the part of the shore that lies between the limits for high and low tides

2. the part of the shore that lies just above the high-water mark

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foreshore Scientific  

/ fôr′shôr′ /

1. The seaward-sloping area of a shore that lies between the average high tide mark and the average low tide mark.

2. Compare backshore

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Etymology

Origin of foreshore

First recorded in 1755–65; fore- + shore ¹

Example Sentences

Work to clean up the pollution began in the 1980s, after particles were found washed up on the nearby foreshore.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

The finale of the novel is set in ruined brickworks on the Humber foreshore – a location transplanted to Hartlepool in the film.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2024

A Tongan official said the machinery would be used on most of Tonga's development projects, including roads and foreshore construction.

From Reuters • Feb. 11, 2022

Because a large portion of the Thames is tidal, the foreshore is only accessible twice a day.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2020

The hot tendrils of magnesium drifted slowly down the dark and the pale foreshore tide started in the glare and slowly faded.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy