shore

SHOR/ʃɔɹ/UKSHAW/ʃɔː(ɹ)/

13 meanings of shore

1
nouncountable
The land along the edge of a sea, lake, or pond.
Like the line where the water ends and the dry land begins.
We walked along the shore and collected smooth shells.
Children played near the lake's shore all afternoon.
Similarcoast, beach, bank
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2
nouncountable or uncountable
Dry land, as seen by people on a ship or boat.
Like the solid ground waiting for you after a long boat ride.
The sailors were glad to set foot on shore again.
Trucks waited on the shore to unload the cargo.
Similarland, dock, quay
Oppositesea
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3
verbtransitive
To support or strengthen something that might fail or fall.
Like putting extra legs under a table so it does not fall over.
They used wooden beams to shore up the old wall.
The government tried to shore up the failing bank.
Similarbolster
Oppositeundermine, weaken
Note
4
nouncountable
A strong post or beam used to hold something up.
Like a stick you push under a shelf so it does not droop.
The builders put a strong shore under the sagging floor.
A metal shore held up the wall during repairs.
Similarprop, brace, strut, support
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5
verbtransitive
To hold something up with a post or beam.
Like holding up a tent with poles so it stays standing.
Workers shore the mine walls to keep them from caving in.
They shored the leaning fence with thick posts.
Similarsupport, strengthen, reinforce, buttress
Oppositeweaken, undermine
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6
verbtransitive
Past tense of shear. This is an old form. Today people say sheared.
Note
7
nountransitivecountable
An underground drain or sewer that carries away dirty water.
Like a pipe under the road that carries away dirty water.
The dirty water ran down into the shore below the street.
They cleaned the blocked shore behind the houses.
Similarsewer, drain, culvert
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–2, 8–9

From Old English, from an old Germanic word meaning a rugged rock or high rocky shore. It may be linked to the word 'shear'.

Meaning 4

From Middle English, borrowed from Dutch and Low German words meaning a prop or support. The deeper origin is unknown.

Meanings 3, 5

From Middle English, made from the noun 'shore' meaning a prop or support, plus a verb ending.

Meanings 10–12

Uncertain. Found in Northern English and Scots, where 'schore' meaning 'to threaten' appears before 1400; it may be related to a Scots word for 'steep', linked to 'shear'.