Meaning & use
seashore
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Meanings
nounsingular
The strip of land at the edge of the sea, especially where there is sand, rock or pebbles.
Grammar: Usually with the: we walked along the seashore.
Patterns
- on the seashore
- along the seashore
The children collected shells along the seashore.
We spent the whole morning walking on the seashore.
Gulls gathered on the seashore after the tide went out.
nounsingular
The area of the coast people visit for holidays, often thought of as a place to relax.
Grammar: Often used with at or by: a cottage by the seashore.
Patterns
- at the seashore
- a house by the seashore
Every summer, her family rents a cabin at the seashore.
He grew up by the seashore and still misses the sound of waves.
They dreamed of retiring to a quiet seashore town.
Word forms
| plural | seashores |
|---|
Common combinations
- walk along the seashore
- They like to walk along the seashore at sunset.
- rocky seashore
- Crabs hide among the stones on the rocky seashore.
- sandy seashore
- The sandy seashore stretched for miles.
- stroll on the seashore
- We strolled on the seashore, talking about old times.
- by the seashore
- The family had a picnic by the seashore.
Synonyms and how they differ
- beach
- Beach means a sandy or pebbly shore people use for swimming and sunbathing, while seashore is more general.
- coast
- Coast covers a long stretch of land by the sea, while seashore is the narrow strip right at the water.
- shoreline
- Shoreline stresses the line where land meets water, rather than the whole strip.
- seaside
- Seaside suggests a holiday area with shops and amusements, especially in British English.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: seashore or seaboard?
seashore vs seaboard
Seaboard means a region along the sea and is a more formal word than seashore.
Practice
At low tide, the children searched the ____ for shells and small crabs.
Choose one answer.
The seashore is the strip of land by the sea where shells and crabs are found. A skyline or the mainland would not be searched for shells.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “seashore”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.