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

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Its oil fields are relatively close to shore, under low-lying waters, relatively easy to access. Chico Harlan, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 The song that drew thousands to our shores during the height of the hippie movement. August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 One lives along the shores of the Great Lakes, one in the lakes and rivers of the Northern Great Plains, and another along the Atlantic coast. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Nov. 2023 Plastics are now ubiquitous, not just in oceans and on shores but also inside the animals that make those habitats their home. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Nov. 2023 The Bay Outdoor enthusiasts can spot manatees on a Siesta Key kayak tour and enjoy the shore along one of six islands lining Sarasota's coastline. Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2023 But even back then, luxury travel to the tombs and treasures that line the shores of the world’s longest and most mythologized river wasn’t far off. Michelle Gross, Robb Report, 13 Nov. 2023 The 58-year-old was brought to shore by first responders after becoming unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the Wilcox Medical Center. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2023 The Souk will take place Dec. 2-5 alongside the Nov. 30-Dec. 9 fest in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 7 Nov. 2023
Verb
After making it to shore, the bird stands at full height and shakes its wet feathers. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023 The report is a sobering assessment of a power grid that continues to fray and suffer from underinvestment, despite promises by politicians and regulators to shore it up following deadly blackouts in recent years. Evan Halper, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023 He was transported to shore with help from the Canadian Coast Guard and was reported to be in stable condition. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 28 Oct. 2023 The man was transported to shore by @CoastGuardCAN in coordination with @VicJRCC_CCCOS. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2023 There, Francis said far too many people had never made it to shore. Nicole Winfield and Sylvie Corbet The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2023 Yet during the event, organizers violated several environmental regulations meant to protect the beach, such as building a boardwalk to serve as the catwalk along the sand and shoring it up with plastic sandbags. Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2023 Still, bringing employee contributions more in line with national averages may not be enough to shore things up. Carrie Napoleon, Chicago Tribune, 17 Sep. 2023 Emergency crews responded to Lighthouse Beach, at Port Macquarie, after receiving reports about the attack and and said officers found a 44-year-old man who suffered major injuries to at least one of his legs and had been helped to shore by witnesses. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near shore

Cite this Entry

“Shore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shore. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

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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