shore

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

Synonyms of shore

• sustain
• carry
• support
• bolster
• stay
• prop (up)

Examples of shore in a Sentence

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

Sam Proffitt, the director of the Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue, and his team were able to bring Woods and her nephew to shore. —Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026

Instead, the aim would be to take measures to assess where AI is low on mental health capacities and shore it up overall. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026

These jellyfish are commonly seen in the open ocean but can drift closer to shore on occasion. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2026

With blue crab season underway, along with a plenitude of native fish and shrimp coming to shore each morning, restaurants fill their menus with whatever is brought to the marina. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shore

• hug the shore
• lee shore
• shore dinner
• shore leave
• shore patrol
• shore up

Rhymes for shore

• boar
• boer
• bore
• chore
• cor
• core
• corps
• crore
• door
• drawer
• floor
• flor

Kids Definition

shore

1 of 3 noun

ˈshō(ə)r 

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

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

Middle English shoren "to support, brace"