shore

¹

[shawr, shohr]

noun

1. the land along the edge of a sea, lake, broad river, etc.

   Synonyms: margin, strand

2. some particular country.

   my native shore.

3. land, as opposed to sea or water.

   a marine serving on shore.

4. Law.,  the space between the ordinary high-water and low-water mark.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or located on land, especially land along the edge of a body of water.

   a marine on shore duty.

shore

²

[shawr, shohr]

noun

1. a supporting post or beam with auxiliary members, especially one placed obliquely against the side of a building, a ship in drydock, or the like; prop; strut.

   Synonyms: stay, buttress, brace

verb (used with object)

shored, shoring 

1. to support by or as if by a shore or shores; prop (usually followed byup ).

   to shore up a roof; government subsidies to shore up falling corn prices.

shore

³

[shawr, shohr]

verb (used with object)

Scot. and North England.

shored, shoring 

1. to threaten (someone).

2. to offer or proffer (something).

Shore

⁴

[shawr, shohr]

noun

1. Jane, 1445?–1527, mistress of Edward IV of England.

shore

¹

/ ʃɔː /

noun

1. the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or wide river

2. 1. land, as opposed to water (esp in the phrase on shore )

   2. ( as modifier )

      shore duty

3. law the tract of coastland lying between the ordinary marks of high and low water

4. (often plural) a country

   his native shores

verb

1. (tr) to move or drag (a boat) onto a shore

shore

²

/ ʃɔː /

noun

1. a prop, post, or beam used to support a wall, building, ship in dry dock, etc

verb

1. to prop or make safe with or as if with a shore

shore

³

/ ʃɔː /

verb

1. a past tense of shear

Other Word Forms

• shoring noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shore¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English score, Old English scora (recorded only in place names); cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German schore; perhaps akin to shear

Origin of shore²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun shore, score; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schore “prop”; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of shore³

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English ( Scots ) schore, of uncertain origin and meaning

Word History and Origins

Origin of shore¹

C14: probably from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schōre; compare Old High German scorra cliff; see _shear

Origin of shore²

C15: from Middle Dutch schōre; related to Old Norse skortha prop

Synonym Study

Shore, bank, beach, coast refer to an edge of land abutting on an ocean, lake, or other large body of water. Shore is the general word: The ship reached shore. Bank denotes the land along a river or other watercourse, sometimes steep but often not: The river flows between its banks. Beach refers to sandy or pebbly margins along a shore, especially those made wider at ebb tide: a private beach for bathers. Coast applies only to land along an ocean: the Pacific coast.

Example Sentences

He said he had heard of a community of chimpanzees on the rugged eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika where an intrepid researcher might make valuable discoveries.

From Los Angeles Times

An earlier attempt saw activists detained by Israeli forces and taken to shore.

From BBC

The battalion formed part of the Indian Corps, which was sent to France in 1914, to shore up the British forces fighting on the Western Front.

From BBC

In Aso’s manga, just after the Joker figure appears, Arisu envisions a scene of a large, humanoid creature poling a boat full of figures across a body of water toward a distant shore.

From Salon

Mr Caudwell says he understands that Labour needed to raise money to shore up the public finances but felt it hit some sectors unduly hard.

From BBC

Related Words

• bank 
• beach 
• border 
• coast 
• riverbank 
• sand 
• seaboard 
• seashore 
• waterfront 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of shore?

A shore is land that is located along the edge of a body of water. Shore can also be used more generally to mean any land or a particular country. As a verb, shore means to support something.If a certain area of land touches or runs alongside a body of water, it is a shore. For example, a fisherman would stand at a river’s shore while fishing in it.A shore is similar to a coast or a beach. A coast is a shore that specifically meets the ocean. A beach is a part of a shore covered in sand and pebbles.

• Real-life examples: Boats are docked along shores. Many shores have beautiful, sandy beaches. MTV once filmed an infamous reality show on the shore of New Jersey.



• Used in a sentence: Eve liked to watch the deer relax along the shore of the lake. 

Shore is also used generally to mean any land. This sense is often used as a contrast to water, such as when talking about sailing or boating.

• Used in a sentence: When I was in the Coast Guard, I didn’t spend much time on shore.

Shore can also mean a country.

• Used in a sentence: I want to return to my native shore of Wales. 

As a verb, shore means to support or to bolster. In this sense, it is often followed by the word up.

• Real-life examples: A builder might shore up a roof with several posts. You might shore up your essay with quotes from the research you did. A government can shore up the solar energy industry by giving solar panel manufacturers tax breaks.



• Used in a sentence: The president planned to shore up the economy by giving aid to small businesses. 

Related to this sense, shore is used as a noun to mean a beam or post that acts as a support.

• Used in a sentence: We used steel shores to keep the side wall from falling down.