shoreline

American  

[shawr-lahyn, shohr-] / ˈʃɔrˌlaɪn, ˈʃoʊr- /

noun

1. the line where shore and water meet.

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shoreline British  

/ ˈʃɔːˌlaɪn /

noun

1. the edge of a body of water

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Etymology

Origin of shoreline

First recorded in 1850–55; shore ¹ + line ¹

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."

Example Sentences

Seizing Kharg Island and the islands near the mainland would require an amphibious landing on a contested shoreline, among “the hardest operations” a military can attempt, and one that Iran is almost certainly prepared for.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

Protecting shipping, Gen. Clark concludes, means controlling the “whole shoreline, its people and the airspace above it.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

In addition, landfast ice acts as a natural barrier, reducing the impact of waves on the shoreline and allowing river water to spread farther offshore.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

Police search teams set out on foot and by boat, looking for any belongings left behind on the shoreline by someone planning a wild swim.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

We walk slowly toward the small bridge, edging carefully along the shoreline of the pond.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• bank
• beach
• coastline
• seaboard
• shore