shoreline
Americannoun
-
shorelines
plural
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.
See Examples For:
On Wednesday night, a number of Ukrainian seaborne drones attacked the shoreline at Sochi, Russian officials say.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Dramatic video footage from Long Beach shows massive waves slamming into the shoreline and splintering the wood on the boardwalk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
The extreme decline in 2026 revealed debris that had been submerged along the shoreline and caused sediment to cover boat ramps at Elephant Butte Lake State Park.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
With 124 miles of shoreline, Martha’s Vineyard has more than two dozen public and private beaches, plus town beaches that are only open to residents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The same park where dozens of canoes have now been pulled up along the shoreline.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Navy had recently chosen Damen “to help it fast-track a new fleet” of a different type of vessel: up to 35 medium-sized ships to move troops and supplies to shorelines.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
Perhaps, if the Navy had moved away from large aircraft carriers and more toward small ships that could attack with speed and stealth along shorelines.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Targets: They are designed to protect shorelines and islands from approaching ships and landing craft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Preserved shorelines, layered sediments, and mineral deposits may all reflect stable lakes that endured despite a cold climate.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2026
A tugboat made its way down the river, causing the water to crash into the rocks along the shorelines.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.
