shoreline
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of shoreline
Explanation
The shoreline is the place where a large body of water, like an ocean, lake, or river, meets the land. There are a lot of fun beaches along the Atlantic shoreline. You can use the noun shoreline to talk about the strip that marks the boundary between land and water, whether it's at the edge of an ocean, sea, lake, or river. While the word "coast" refers specifically to the ocean, shoreline or shore can be used for any body of water. The word was first coined in the mid-1800's by geographers, and its root is the Germanic schor, "shore, coast, or headland."
Vocabulary lists containing shoreline
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.
"What I saw at the shoreline was that the water receded. After a while, I saw it... slowly returning. And then it receded again. Maybe three or four times," Butil said.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
Vegetation visible along the reservoir shoreline and river channel includes tamarisk, willow, cottonwood, sedges, and various grasses.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2026
Swim along the shoreline, rather than directly back to the beach, until free of the current’s pull.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
At stake is what right people in Wisconsin have to take a shoreline stroll.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Beyond the rich greenery of Waimea Valley, the shops and restaurants of Hale‘iwa, the old mill buildings at Waialua, there is the white shoreline that leads to Ka‘ena Point.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
