onshore

American  

[on-shawr, -shohr, awn-] / ˈɒnˈʃɔr, -ˈʃoʊr, ˈɔn- /

adverb

1. onto or in the direction of the shore from a body of water.

   a breeze blowing onshore.

2. in or on a body of water, close to or parallel with the shore.

   to sail a boat onshore.

3. on land, especially within the area adjoining a port; ashore.

   to land and shop onshore.

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adjective

1. moving or proceeding toward shore or onto land from a body of water.

   an onshore breeze.

2. located on or close to the shore.

   an onshore lighthouse; an onshore buoy.

3. done or taking place on land.

   onshore liberty for the crew.

verb (used with or without object)

1. reshore.

onshore British  

/ ˈɒnˈʃɔː /

adjective

1. towards the land

   an onshore gale

2. on land; not at sea

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Other Word Forms

• onshoring
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of onshore

First recorded in 1500–75; on + shore ¹

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Explanation

Use the adjective onshore to describe something that's headed toward the coast from the sea, or that's located on dry land. An onshore wind blows in from the ocean. An onshore breeze is wonderful on a hot summer day, especially if you can spend that day on the beach. If you're on a boat, a strong onshore wind is something to be concerned about, since it will tend to blow your boat toward the land. The oil industry uses onshore to distinguish between oil rigs and wells that are in the ocean and those that are on the land, or onshore.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

onshore

They spent four days onshore investigating the site.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

The center of Rachel was expected to move onshore in northern Baja California on Saturday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

The yuan consolidated against the dollar in onshore and offshore markets on the first trading day in mainland China after a long holiday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

More than 1 billion barrels of oil have been drawn, mostly from onshore commercial inventories, to offset the shortfall, said Aramco’s Nasser.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

Whenever the big ice floes drifted down from the north and crashed onshore, making thunderous sounds, he would tremble and turn pale.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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Related Words

• ashore

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