shoreline

noun

shore·​line ˈshȯr-ˌlīn 

1

: the line where a body of water and the shore meet

2

: the strip of land along the shoreline

Examples of shoreline in a Sentence

The road runs along the shoreline.

Recent Examples on the Web

On her island home in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, the shoreline has visibly retreated within her short lifetime, with beaches eroded, coastal trees uprooted and some homes now barely 3 feet from the sea at high tide. —CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026

The county’s Board of Commissioners has a retreat and work session scehduled Friday, March 6, and the agenda includes the presentation of a shoreline stability and beach management plan. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2026

On her island home in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, the shoreline has visibly retreated within her short lifetime, with beaches eroded, coastal trees uprooted and some homes now barely 3 feet (about 1 meter) from the sea at high tide. —ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026

Below, the Bay of Naples lay in moonlight, broken by the outline of the port and the glow of the shoreline. —Vic O'Sullivan, Travel + Leisure, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shoreline

• acridine
• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• atropine
• benzidine
• borderline
• byzantine
• calamine

Kids Definition

shoreline

noun

shore·​line -ˌlīn 

: the line where a body of water touches the shore

Geographical Definition

Shoreline

geographical name

Shore·​line ˈshȯr-ˌlīn 

city in west central Washington on Puget Sound north of Seattle population 53,007