shore (up)

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

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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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shore (up)
Verb
  • The Uruguay midfielder underwent surgery following a hamstring injury sustained when Spurs lost 3-2 away to Bournemouth on January 7.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Reasonableness, like tolerance, is best seen as a convention of restraint, sustained because everyone remembers, however vaguely, what happens when the treaty collapses.
    Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That grip is reinforced by a litany of electronic nannies, all of which translate to an assuring sense of control and eagerness to discover more of the Valhalla’s powerfully balletic nature.
    Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The measures were reinforced over the past 24 hours on the city’s outskirts with additional forces stationed along key airport access routes.
    ABC News, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That projection is based on the player’s performance in each metric over the last three seasons (five for goalies), weighted for recency where more recent seasons carry more significance and regressed to the mean.
    Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The Moon amplifies Jupiter, helping your words land clearly and carry weight.
    Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Vikings could target him as an undrafted signing to bolster a defensive backs group that should look far different when the draft concludes.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
  • This premise, bolstered by excellent performances all around, could easily have sustained a totally enjoyable TV show.
    Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Pahlavi in Berlin called on Europeans to do more to support Iranian people fighting for democracy.
    Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Instead of relying solely on a few flagship machines, China appears to be building a dense and interconnected infrastructure capable of supporting large-scale AI applications across industries.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The idea that transparency offers a route to closure is already proving illusory.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Ultimately, neither proved disqualifying for the mild-mannered tackle.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Ruff changed goalies, made a few lineup tweaks and otherwise stayed calm.
    Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • People stayed locked in bathroom stalls.
    Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Shore (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shore%20%28up%29. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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