shore (up)

verb

Definition of shore (up)next
1
as in to sustain
to hold up or serve as a foundation for a highway tunnel shored up by massive columns of concrete

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to reinforce
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) used an avalanche of statistics to shore up his claim that the state's economy is in fine shape

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shore (up)
  1. sustain
  2. reinforce
  3. carry
  4. bolster
  5. support
  6. prove
  7. stay
Verb
  • Chinese officials condemn American legal hegemony while closely studying the institutions and techniques that sustain it.
    — Mark Jia, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The complaint alleges that the injuries sustained by Duluc were directly due to negligence regarding the height of the netting.
    — Madison Lambert, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of sustain
Verb
  • Football introduces more students and families to the university and reinforces that a local, affordable higher education option with Division I athletics exists right on the South Side.
    — Monique Carroll, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Over the years, Vizard has watched visitors come to the farm to admire the birds, reinforcing her belief that the farm should continue to be used as an open space.
    — Tran Chau, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of reinforce
Verb
  • An identical sports risk carries a 51% tax through one legal door and an exchange fee through the other.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • How to prevent mosquito bites in Pittsburgh There are precautions people can take to help prevent mosquito bites, including bites from the species carrying West Nile Virus.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of carry
Verb
  • The Cubs bolstered their pitching staff with a series of moves ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, acquiring Clay Holmes from the New York Mets and reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Los Angeles Angels.
    — Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Padres thus bolstered their rotation by acquiring left-hander Robbie Ray from the Giants and, reportedly, right-hander Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of bolster
Verb
  • Stefan Rittner, senior portfolio manager at Allianz Global Investors, said markets were more likely to accept measures that improve productivity, labor supply and long-term growth than spending aimed mainly at supporting consumption.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Reuters — Japan’s government is portraying its accelerating military buildup not only as ​a way to protect the country but as a route to greater prosperity, arguing in ‌its latest defence white paper that arms production can support economic growth.
    — Reuters, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of support
Verb
  • Unfamiliar Hungarian names from the nearby vineyards on the wine list can prove a revelation—in a good way—at lunch or dinner.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But Covid-19 vaccines have consistently proved to provide significant protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of prove
Verb
  • That’s because even if the tiniest sliver of the sun remains visible, the landscape stays surprisingly bright, the sky never falls into twilight, and the sun’s spectacular corona remains hidden.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • And that rate stayed above 1 out of every 1,000 for the next two seasons, CDC data shows.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of stay
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.

Browse Nearby Words

shores (up)
shore (up)
shoring
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shore (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shore%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of anecdote

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All