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shore

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shore¹

  • /ʃɔː/ UK
  • /ʃɔɹ/ US
  • /ʃo(ː)ɹ/
  • /ʃoə/

Sounds like sure (UK, pour–poor merger), Shaw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English schore, from Old English *sċora (attested as sċor- in placenames), from Proto-Germanic *skurô (“rugged rock, cliff, high rocky shore”). Possibly related to Old English sċieran (“to cut”), which survives today as English shear.

Cognate with Middle Dutch scorre (“land washed by the sea”), Middle Low German schor (“shore, coast, headland”), Middle High German schorre ("rocky crag, high rocky shore"; > German Schorre, Schorren (“towering rock, crag”)), and Limburgish sjaor (“riverbank”). Maybe connected with Norwegian Bokmål skjær.

noun shores

  1. Land adjoining a non-flowing body of water, such as an ocean, lake or pond. lake shore; bay shore; gulf shore; island shore; mainland shore; river shore; estuary shore; pond shore; sandy shore; rocky shore
  2. from the perspective of one on a body of water Land, usually near a port. The seamen were serving on shore instead of on ships.

verb shores · shoring · shored

  1. intransitive, obsolete To arrive at the shore the ship quickened her way, and shot past that rocke, where wee thought shee would have shored.
  2. obsolete, transitive To put ashore. I will bring these two moles, these blind ones, aboard him: if he think it fit to shore them again

shore²

  • /ʃɔː/ UK
  • /ʃɔɹ/ US
  • /ʃo(ː)ɹ/
  • /ʃoə/

Sounds like sure (UK, pour–poor merger), Shaw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Late Middle English shore (“a prop, a support”) [and other forms], from Middle Dutch schore, schare (“a prop, a stay”) (modern Dutch schoor), and Middle Low German schōre, schāre (“a prop, a stay; barrier; stockade”) (compare Old Norse skorða (“a prop, a stay”) (Norwegian skor, skorda)); further etymology unknown.

noun shores

  1. A prop or strut supporting some structure or weight above it. The shores stayed upright during the earthquake.

shore³

  • /ʃɔː/ UK
  • /ʃɔɹ/ US
  • /ʃo(ː)ɹ/
  • /ʃoə/

Sounds like sure (UK, pour–poor merger), Shaw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Late Middle English shoren (“to prop, to support”) [and other forms], from Middle English shore (“a prop, a support”) (see etymology 2) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive form of verbs); compare Middle Dutch schooren (“to prop up, support”) and Middle Low German schore (“to shovel; to sweep”).

verb shores · shoring · shored

  1. transitive Not followed by up: to provide (something) with support. If houses were present these could be used to conceal the mine opening. As the mine progressed the roof was shored with timbers.

    Similar: buttress, reinforce, strengthen, support

  2. transitive Usually followed by up: to reinforce (something at risk of failure). My family shored me up after I failed the GED.

    Similar: bolster, prop up

shore⁴

  • /ʃɔː/ UK
  • /ʃɔɹ/ US
  • /ʃo(ː)ɹ/
  • /ʃoə/

Sounds like sure (UK, pour–poor merger), Shaw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

See shear.

verb

  1. past, transitive simple past of shear Then Frodo stepped up to the great grey net, and hewed it with a wide sweeping stroke[…]. The blue-gleaming blade shore through them like a scythe through grass […].

    Similar: sheared

shore⁵

  • /ʃɔː/ UK
  • /ʃɔɹ/ US
  • /ʃo(ː)ɹ/
  • /ʃoə/

Sounds like sure (UK, pour–poor merger), Shaw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Originally common-shore.

noun shores

  1. transitive A sewer. Emptie olde receptacles, or common-shores of filthe.

shore⁶

  • /ʃɔː/ UK
  • /ʃɔɹ/ US
  • /ʃo(ː)ɹ/
  • /ʃoə/

Sounds like sure (UK, pour–poor merger), Shaw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Uncertain. The word is attested in Northern English and Scots; the DSL states that schore "to threaten" is attested before 1400 (a corresponding noun schoyr is attested since 1375: "vith gret schoyr and mannasyng" in Barbour's Bruce), and suggests it might ultimately be related to Old Scots schoir "steep (of a crag)", related to shear. Alternatively, it has been suggested that it might be a variant of score or sure and related to assure.

verb shores · shoring · shored

  1. Scotland, archaic, transitive To threaten or warn unpleasant consequences (for someone); (sometimes) to threaten or warn off or scare away. The Gleds might pyked her at the dyke, Before the lads wad shored them off her.
  2. Scotland, archaic, transitive, of weather To threaten (to rain). For a' our tears and sighs are but in vain: Come, help me up; — yon sooty cloud shores rain.
  3. Scotland, archaic, transitive To offer or present (someone something). ... a compliment kindly and decently shored, […]

shore⁷

  • /ʃɔː/ UK
  • /ʃɔɹ/ US
  • /ʃo(ː)ɹ/
  • /ʃoə/

Sounds like sure (UK, pour–poor merger), Shaw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)

adverb more shore · most shore

  1. Scotland, archaic, pronunciation spelling, transitive Pronunciation spelling of sure

adjective more shore · most shore

  1. Scotland, archaic, pronunciation spelling, transitive Pronunciation spelling of sure

interjection

  1. Scotland, archaic, pronunciation spelling, transitive Pronunciation spelling of sure

Shore⁸

Where it comes from

* As an English surname, from the noun shore.

* As a Jewish surname, spelling variant of Schorr, Szor, Schauer.

proper noun

  1. A topographic surname from Middle English.
  2. A suburb of Littleborough, Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester (OS grid ref SD9216).
  3. A hamlet near Cornholme in Todmorden parish, Calderdale borough, West Yorkshire (OS grid ref SD9126).

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: seashore, coastal, land, set ashore, beach, lakeshore, foreshore, strand, littoral, nearshore, shoreline, waterfront, seaside, coast, coastline, riverine

Translations

Every language

noun land adjoining a large body of water

Españolorilla, vera
한국어물가 mulga, 바닷가 badatga, 해안 haean
日本語岸 kishi, 海岸 kaigan, 海浜 kaihin, 湖岸 kogan, 河岸
中文岸 àn, 海濱 /海滨 hǎibīn, 海岸 hǎi'àn, 湖岸 hú'àn, 河岸 hé'àn
हिन्दीसमुद्रतट samudrataṭ, सागरतट sāgartaṭ, तट taṭ, किनारा kinārā, कनारा kanārā, साहिल sāhil
Kiswahiliukingo wa bahari
Portuguêspraia, costa, margem, orla
Françaisbord, rive, rivage
DeutschUfer
Italianoriva
Ελληνικάακτή aktí
Românămal, țărm, coastă
Русскийбе́рег béreg, побере́жье poberéžʹje, яр
Tiếng Việtbờ
العربيةشَاطِئ šāṭiʔ, سَاحِل sāḥil
עבריתחוֹף khof

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MLA

"shore." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shore. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

shore. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shore

Chicago

"shore." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shore.

BibTeX
@misc{shore_2026,
  title = {shore},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shore},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}