Meaning & use
shoring a house
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrasetechnical
The act of supporting a house with temporary props or beams to prevent it from collapsing.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; often appears after 'be' or verbs like 'start' or 'finish'.
Patterns
- shoring up a house
- start shoring a house
- need shoring
The workers are shoring up the house before the renovation begins.
Shoring a house is dangerous work and requires expert knowledge.
After the earthquake, engineers recommended shoring the house immediately.
Common combinations
- shoring up a house
- They spent the weekend shoring up the house after the storm.
- temporary shoring
- The builders put in temporary shoring to hold the walls.
- shoring a house with beams
- Shoring a house with steel beams is common in old buildings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- propping up a house
- Less technical and more general; it can refer to any kind of support, not just construction.
Word family
Practice
Before the renovation, the builders had to ______ the house.
Choose one answer.
The phrasal verb 'shore up' is the usual way to say 'support' in this context. 'Shore' alone is less common, and 'shoring' or 'shored' would not fit after 'had to'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shoring a house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.