noun

shore

shaw

noun

The land bordering a sea, lake, or other large body of water.

"They walked along the shore collecting seashells."

"The ship stayed close to shore during the storm."

verb

To support or reinforce something, usually with "up" — to shore something up against collapse.

"Workers shored up the tunnel walls with timber beams."

"The government tried to shore up confidence in the banks."

How to Use Shore

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe edge of land next to water, or (as a verb) to prop something up so it doesn't fail.

Common mistake

"Shore up" almost always means reinforcing something weak, not literally propping timber — it's used constantly in a figurative sense for finances, support, defences, etc.

Common pairings

along the shore shore up support offshore the shore of the lake

Word Forms

shored past tense, shored past tense, shored past tense, shores plural, shores plural, shores plural, shores singular, shores singular, shores singular

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Can you complete this real example?

They walked along the _____ collecting seashells.

Etymology

From Middle English schore, likely from Old English roots meaning a rugged, rocky place — related to the verb "shear" (to cut).

Rhymes for shore

ore bore tore yore lore more core fore sore gore pore adore

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