shoreline
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the edge of a sea, lake, or ocean where it touches the land.
the physical boundary where a body of water meets the land.
Simple“We walked along the shoreline at sunset, watching the waves come in.”
In context“The winter storms significantly eroded the shoreline, leaving several coastal properties vulnerable to the rising tides.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the line on a map that shows where the water and land meet.
the cartographic representation of the boundary between land and water.
Simple“The map shows a very jagged shoreline with many small bays.”
In context“The cartographer spent weeks refining the shoreline on the new charts to ensure local sailors could navigate the rocky inlets safely.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is more technical and specific to geography or map-reading.
From shore + line.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.