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
Noun
Wisconsin has just one such place: Newport State Park, at the tip of Door County on the shores of Lake Michigan, which has had the designation for seven years. Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2024 When dried, this lightweight and easy-to-pack material was once collected from shores all over the world. Anna Fiorentino, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024 Located on the shores of Roebuck Bay, on the northern coast of the state of Western Australia, the site is a gathering place for around 100,000 shorebirds and terns as well as other species. David Escribano, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024 Global rainfall patterns would shift, storms in the Atlantic would become more destructive, and warm water would pile up on the shores of the eastern U.S., leading to rapid sea-level rise. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shore 

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 13 Oct. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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