shore

1 of 3

noun (1)

often attributive
1
: the land bordering a usually large body of water
specifically : coast
2
: a boundary (as of a country) or an area within a boundary
usually used in plural
immigrated to these shores
3
: land as distinguished from the sea
shipboard and shore duty

shore

2 of 3

noun (2)

: a prop for preventing sinking or sagging

shore

3 of 3

verb

shored; shoring

transitive verb

1
: to support by a shore : prop
2
: to give support to : brace
usually used with up
trying to shore up his claim

Examples of shore in a Sentence

Noun (2) the carpenter placed a shore underneath the sagging roof of the porch Verb a highway tunnel shored up by massive columns of concrete used an avalanche of statistics to shore up his claim that the state's economy is in fine shape
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Some were able to escape the turmoil and find solace, and a new life on these shores. Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 4 July 2025 The lifeguard, already wearing a wetsuit, jumped in and swam back to shore holding a person who appeared to be dead, according to Youngren. Ethan Wolin updated July 4, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
Verb
Pierce County Sheriff's Office The man refused to leave the pond for more than an hour before deputies used a lasso to rope him and pull him to shore, the bodycam video shows. Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 17 June 2025 Blow up bullpen Similar to the starting rotation, Boston’s main bullpen acquisitions this offseason came on one-year deals and could be valuable trade chips for a club looking to shore things up in the late-game. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 1 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for shore

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English *scor; akin to Middle Low German schōr foreland and perhaps to Old English scieran to cut — more at shear

Noun (2)

Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch scōre prop, Middle Low German schōre

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shore was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Shore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shore. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

shore

1 of 3 noun
ˈshō(ə)r How to pronounce shore (audio)
ˈshȯ(ə)r
: the land along the edge of a body of water (as the sea)

shore

2 of 3 verb
shored; shoring
: to support with one or more bracing timbers
shore up a house foundation

shore

3 of 3 noun
: a prop or support placed under or against something to support it
Etymology

Noun

Middle English shore "the land on the edge of a body of water"

Verb

Middle English shoren "to support, brace"

More from Merriam-Webster on shore

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