foreshore

American  

[fawr-shawr, fohr-shohr] / ˈfɔrˌʃɔr, ˈfoʊrˌʃoʊr /

noun

1. the ground between the water's edge and cultivated land; land along the edge of a body of water.

2. the part of the shore between the high-water mark and low-water mark.

---

foreshore British  

/ ˈfɔːˌʃɔː /

noun

1. the part of the shore that lies between the limits for high and low tides

2. the part of the shore that lies just above the high-water mark

---

foreshore Scientific  

/ fôr′shôr′ /

1. The seaward-sloping area of a shore that lies between the average high tide mark and the average low tide mark.

2. Compare backshore

---

Etymology

Origin of foreshore

First recorded in 1755–65; fore- + shore ¹

Example Sentences

Emma Prempeh, 29, was seeking inspiration as she walked along the Hessle foreshore in May, when she came across a man with a zimmer frame who looked "really serene".

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025

He said ownership can be "complex" and the group wants people to have access to places where they have historically been able to roam like the foreshore "regardless of the ownership there".

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025

A Tongan official said the machinery would be used on most of Tonga's development projects, including roads and foreshore construction.

From Reuters • Feb. 11, 2022

Because a large portion of the Thames is tidal, the foreshore is only accessible twice a day.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2020

He was speaking as he jerked himself out on the sandy foreshore.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams