shoreline

noun

shore·​line ˈshȯr-ˌlīn How to pronounce shoreline (audio)
Synonyms of shorelinenext
1
: the line where a body of water and the shore meet
2
: the strip of land along the shoreline

Examples of shoreline in a Sentence

The road runs along the shoreline.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Jackie, who was estimated to be around 14 years old, died nearly a month after she was rescued from the Big Bear Lake shoreline, where she was found after being seen in a fight with two subadult eagles in July. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Smuggling hasn’t been seen within the Galápagos Marine Reserve itself, but Alava and his colleagues theorize that smugglers are capturing iguanas near Ecuador’s coastal shorelines. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026 In July, the eagle was found weak and disheveled on the shoreline of Big Bear Lake. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 With the ability to hold a 74-ton payload and over 1,600 square feet of deck space, the SSC provides optimal room to transport supplies, vehicles—including up to four Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicles (ARVs)—and equipment to shorelines. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoreline

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoreline was in 1852

Rhymes for shoreline

See All Rhymes for shoreline

Browse Nearby Words

shoreless
shoreline
Shoreline
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shoreline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoreline. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

shoreline

noun
shore·​line -ˌlīn How to pronounce shoreline (audio)
: the line where a body of water touches the shore

Geographical Definition

Shoreline

geographical name

Shore·​line ˈshȯr-ˌlīn How to pronounce Shoreline (audio)
city in west central Washington on Puget Sound north of Seattle

More from Merriam-Webster on shoreline

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