shore (up)

verb

Definition of shore (up)next
1
as in to sustain
to hold up or serve as a foundation for a highway tunnel shored up by massive columns of concrete

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to reinforce
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) used an avalanche of statistics to shore up his claim that the state's economy is in fine shape

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shore (up)
  1. sustain
  2. reinforce
  3. carry
  4. bolster
  5. support
  6. prove
  7. stay
Verb
  • Jeff Stotts, an athletic trainer who runs a site that tracks sports injuries, wrote that since 2005, just one player had sustained a torn labrum like Wallace’s and returned later that season.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Faster reloading could help vessels sustain their combat readiness during extended operations.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of sustain
Verb
  • The event reinforces our commitment to building a strong, collaborative supply chain that delivers economic growth, innovation and long-term maritime capability in both nations.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese communist party’s central committee, reinforced the criticism through its online commentary platform Renmin Ruiping.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of reinforce
Verb
  • Each canister holds four missiles, allowing compatible launch systems to carry multiple interceptors within a single launch cell.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The Kings carried their 1-0 lead deep into the second period.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of carry
Verb
  • And some legal experts say rather than bolster the government’s argument in court, the comparatively small number of charges and arrests may weaken it.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The decision to launch the movie in moderate release — rather than limited in just a handful of venues or nationwide on more than 2,000 screens — proved wise because the studio was able to bolster awareness while cultivating a sense of scarcity.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of bolster
Verb
  • More than 120 countries supported the resolution — only three voted against it — Argentina, Israel and the United States.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The organizers included activist Amy Sousa and commentator Brandi Kruse, who previously helped organize rallies supporting WNBA player Sophie Cunningham.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of support
Verb
  • At every opportunity, Chris Brown seemed to be waiting in the wings, backflipping in Ne-Yo’s face, proving his dream of a certain era was long gone.
    — Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
  • None of this means that Miller’s forecast will prove the most accurate in the days to come.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of prove
Verb
  • But scientific progress rarely stays within neat national boxes for long, even when governments would prefer it to.
    — Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • His teachers attributed the problem to his inability to stay focused while using an iPad throughout the day, Byock said.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of stay
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

shores (up)
shore (up)
shoring
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shore (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shore%20%28up%29. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All