shore

shore

I. shore¹ /ʃɔː $ ʃɔːr/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Middle Dutch; Origin: Middle Low German schore]
1. [uncountable and countable] the land along the edge of a large area of water such as an ocean or lake:
We could see a boat about a mile from shore.
Only a few survivors reached the shore.
She began to swim to shore.
on the shores of something
a holiday resort on the shores of the Adriatic
on shore
We had a couple of hours on shore (=not on a ship).
off shore
The island is about three miles off shore (=away from the coast).
rocky/sandy shore
2. these/British/our etc shores written a country that has a border on the sea:
Millions of immigrants flocked to these shores in the 19th century.
growing fears that English football players will be lured away to foreign shores
⇨ ↑ashore, ↑offshore, ↑onshore
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ shore the area of sand, mud, or low land along the edge of the sea, a lake etc: I went down to the shore to meet him. | The fish is commonly found off the shores of Australia. | They had planned to take a picnic on the shores of Lake Havel.
▪ coast the land next to the sea: He lives on the Sussex coast. | one of the most luxurious hotels on the south coast | the Draugen oil field, off the West coast of Norway | the East Coast of the United States
▪ beach an area of sand or small stones at the edge of the sea: Let's go to the beach. | Brighton beach
▪ the seashore the land at the edge of the sea, consisting of sand or rocks: He walked with her along the seashore. | You can hear the waves breaking on the seashore.
▪ the seaside British English the areas or towns next to the sea where people go to enjoy themselves: We went on day trips to the seaside. | Oh I do love to be beside the seaside (=a line from a well-known song). | a seaside town | a seaside resort
▪ bank the land along the side of a river: a journey along the banks of the River Ganges | He swam over to the other bank. | The river burst its banks.
▪ the waterfront the part of a town or an area of land next to the sea, a river etc – used especially when talking about buildings near the water: The restaurant is down on the waterfront. | a waterfront bar in Montreal called The Neptune
▪ the waterside (also the lakeside, the riverside) the area at the edge of a lake, river etc: The mountains almost come down to the waterside. | a rented villa on the lakeside | A number of barges were hidden in the trees along the riverside. | beautiful riverside views
II. shore² BrE AmE verb
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: shore 'piece of wood used as a support' (15-20 centuries), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German schore 'prop']
shore something ↔ up phrasal verb
1. to support a wall or roof with large pieces of wood, metal etc to stop it from falling down:
The roof had been shored up with old timbers.
2. to help or support something that is likely to fail or is not working well SYN bolster:
attempts to shore up the struggling economy
 

coast

I. coast¹ S3 W2 /kəʊst $ koʊst/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: coste, from Latin costa 'rib, side']
1. [countable] the area where the land meets the sea ⇨ coastal
coast of
the west coast of Africa
We drove along the Pacific coast to Seattle.
on the coast
I used to live in a small village on the coast (=on the land near the sea).
off the coast
a small island off the coast (=in the sea near the land) of Scotland
the first European to cross Africa coast to coast
a deserted stretch of coast
2. the coast is clear informal if the coast is clear, it is safe for you to do something without being seen or caught
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + coast
▪ rocky the rocky coast of Maine
▪ rugged (=rough and uneven) There are sandy beaches in the west and a rugged coast in the east.
▪ the east/west/north/south coast We stayed on the south coast of the island.
▪ the Atlantic/Pacific/Mediterranean etc coast the Mediterranean coast of Spain
■ coast + NOUN
▪ a coast road In summer the coast road is very crowded.
▪ a coast path There were wonderful sea views from the coast path.
▪ the coast route (=the way that follows the coast) I’d prefer to take the coast route.
■ verbs
▪ follow the coast (=stay close to the coast) The path follows the coast.
▪ hug the coast (=follow it very closely) A small railway hugs the coast.
■ phrases
▪ a stretch of coast (=a long area of coast) The 13th century chapel lies on a spectacular stretch of coast.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ coast noun [countable] the part of a country that is close to the sea: The hurricane struck Florida’s coast. | St Andrew’s is on the east coast of Scotland.
▪ shore noun [uncountable and countable] the land along the edge of the sea or along the edge of a lake: The children managed to swim to shore but their father was swept out to sea. | Vevey is a pretty town on the shores of Lake Geneva.
▪ the seashore the land along the edge of the sea, especially where there is sand and rocks: Waves were crashing onto the seashore.
▪ coastline noun [countable] the edge of the land next to the sea. Used especially about a long length of land or the shape it makes, for example as seen from the air: The road follows the rugged coastline of northern France for nearly 100 miles. | Environmentalists are concerned about possible damage to some of the most beautiful stretches of Welsh coastline.
▪ seaboard noun [countable] the part of a country that is close to the sea. Used mainly about very large countries such as the US or Australia: western/eastern etc seaboard: Australia’s eastern seaboard | Atlantic/Pacific etc seaboard: the Atlantic seaboard of the US
▪ the seaside British English a place at the edge of the sea where people go for a holiday: The children love going to the seaside.
▪ by the sea British English, by the ocean American English on land next to the sea: We bought a small cottage by the sea. | He always walks by the ocean in the early morning.
II. coast² BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
1. [usually + adverb/preposition] if a car or bicycle coasts, it moves without any effort from you or any power from the engine
coast down/around/along etc
Bev coasted downhill on her bicycle.
2. to not try very hard to do something well – used to show disapproval:
Janey’s teacher says she’s just coasting at school.
3. to be successful at something without much effort:
They scored three goals in the first half and from then on United were coasting.
coast to/through
The Ugandan relay team are coasting to victory.
4. to sail along the coast while staying close to land