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Definitions Summary Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Collocations Conjugations Grammar
what-is-the-difference-between-beach-shore-and-coast
 
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What is the difference between beach, shore and coast?

1 `beach'
A beach is an area along the edge of a sea, lake, or wide river that is covered with sand or small stones. You can relax or play on a beach, or use it as a place to swim from.
He walked along the beach.
Children were building sandcastles on the beach.
2 `shore'
Shore is a more general word for the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or wide river.
He swam towards the shore.
3 `coast'
The coast is the border between the land and the sea, or the part of a country that is next to the sea.
We stayed in a small village on the west coast of Scotland.
There are industrial cities along the coast.
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Table of contents
  • a - an
  • ability - capability - capacity
  • able - capable
  • above - over
  • accept - except
  • accuse - charge
  • advice - advise
  • affect - effect
  • afraid - frightened
  • after - afterwards - later
  • allow - permit - let - enable
  • almost - nearly
  • alone - lonely
  • aloud - loudly
  • also - too - as well
  • alternate - alternative
  • alternately - alternatively
  • although - though
  • anniversary - birthday
  • announcement - advertisement
  • anyone - anybody
  • arise - rise
  • around - round - about
  • arrive - reach
  • ashamed - embarrassed
  • assignment - homework
  • assist - be present
  • assure - ensure - insure
  • athletics - athletic
  • aural - oral
  • bad - badly
  • bank - bench - seat
  • bare - barely
  • bass - base
  • bath - bathe
  • beach - shore - coast
  • bear - bare
  • beside - besides
  • big - large - great
  • bill - check
  • blame - fault
  • boat - ship
  • bonnet - hood
  • boot - trunk
  • border - frontier - boundary
  • borrow - lend
  • brand - make
  • breathe - breath
  • bring - take - fetch
  • bring up - raise - educate
  • Britain - British - Briton
  • burgle - burglarize
  • bus - coach
  • café - coffee
  • called - named
  • can - could - be able to
  • careful - careless - carefree
  • carriage - car
  • carry - take
  • certain - sure
  • chair - chairperson - chairman - chairwoman
  • cheap - cheaply
  • chef - chief
  • chemist - pharmacist
  • chemist's - drugstore - pharmacy
  • childish - childlike
  • class - form - grade - year
  • classic - classical
  • cloakroom - checkroom
  • close - closed - shut
  • clothes - clothing - cloth
  • collaborate - cooperate
  • comic - comical - funny
  • comment - commentary
  • comment - mention - remark
  • complement - compliment
  • comprehensible - comprehensive
  • comprehension - understanding
  • concerto - concert
  • confidant - confident
  • conscious - consciousness - conscience - conscientious
  • constant - continual - continuous
  • convince - persuade
  • cooker - cook
  • cot - crib - camp bed
  • council - counsel
  • critic - critical
  • cry - weep
  • cup - glass - mug
  • cupboard - wardrobe - closet
  • curb - kerb
  • customer - client
  • delay - cancel - postpone - put off
  • desert - dessert
  • destroy - spoil - ruin
  • detail - details
  • difference - distinction
  • dinner - lunch
  • directly - direct
  • disc - disk
  • discussion - argument
  • dislike - not like
  • dispose of - get rid of
  • disturb - disturbed
  • each other - one another
  • easy - easily
  • effective - efficient
  • electric - electrical - electronic
  • emigration - immigration - migration
  • employ - use
  • especially - specially
  • eventually - finally
  • everyday - every day
  • everyone - everybody
  • exam - examination
  • excited - exciting
  • exhausted - exhausting - exhaustive
  • experience - experiment
  • explode - blow up
  • fair - fairly
  • female - feminine
  • few - a few
  • fine - finely
  • first - firstly
  • first name - Christian name - forename - given name
  • fit - suit
  • flat - apartment
  • floor - ground
  • forward - forwards
  • free - freely
  • frighten - frightened
  • fun - funny
  • gain - earn
  • gas - petrol
  • generally - mainly
  • get to - grow to
  • glad - happy - cheerful
  • go into - get into - get on
  • good - well
  • go out - get out - get off
  • ground floor - first floor
  • habit - custom
  • half - half of
  • hard - hardly
  • have - take
  • he - she - they
  • heap - stack - pile
  • high - tall
  • hire - rent - let
  • holiday - vacation
  • homework - housework
  • ill - sick
  • illness - disease
  • indicate - show
  • indoors - indoor
  • industrious - industrial
  • information - news
  • in spite of - despite
  • instead - instead of
  • interested - interesting
  • its - it's
  • journey - trip - voyage - excursion
  • last - lastly
  • late - lately
  • latter - former
  • lay - lie
  • let's - let us
  • library - bookshop
  • lift - elevator
  • like - as - the way
  • little - a little
  • look after - look for
  • loose - lose
  • lorry - truck
  • lucky - happy
  • luggage - baggage
  • made from - made of - made out of
  • magazine - shop
  • male - masculine
  • manage - arrange
  • manufacture - factory
  • marmalade - jam - jelly
  • marriage - wedding
  • married - marry
  • mathematics - maths - math
  • meaning - intention - opinion
  • might - may
  • migrate - migration - migrant
  • near - close
  • nervous - anxious - irritated - annoyed
  • north - northern
  • note - bill
  • obligation - duty
  • occasion - opportunity - chance
  • offer - give - invite
  • one - you - we - they
  • outdoors - outdoor
  • pair - couple
  • pants - shorts
  • parcel - package - packet
  • parking - car park
  • people - person
  • percentage - per cent
  • point of view - view - opinion
  • politics - policy - political
  • position - post - job
  • possibility - opportunity
  • possible - possibly
  • post - mail
  • power - strength
  • practice - practise
  • price - cost
  • price - prize
  • principal - principle
  • produce - product
  • professor - teacher
  • programme - program
  • prove - test
  • pub - bar
  • quiet - quite
  • receipt - recipe
  • recognize - realize
  • regret - be sorry
  • relation - relative - relationship
  • relieve - relief
  • remain - stay
  • remember - remind
  • remove - move
  • result - effect
  • ring - call
  • rise - raise
  • rob - steal
  • role - roll
  • safe - secure
  • salad - lettuce
  • salary - wages
  • salute - greet
  • same - similar
  • scarce - scarcely
  • scene - sight - view - landscape - scenery
  • school - university
  • see - look at - watch
  • send - sent
  • sensible - sensitive
  • shadow - shade
  • shall - will
  • sheep - lamb
  • shop - store
  • short - shortly - briefly
  • should - ought to
  • skilful - skilled
  • sleep - asleep
  • small - little
  • so - very - too
  • social - sociable
  • someone - somebody
  • sometimes - sometime
  • sort of - kind of
  • sound - noise
  • southwards - southward
  • souvenir - memory
  • speak - say - tell
  • speak - talk
  • spend - pass
  • start - begin
  • stationary - stationery
  • statistics - statistical
  • sting - bite
  • storey - floor
  • strange - unusual
  • street - road - lane
  • subway - underground - metro
  • surely - definitely - certainly - naturally
  • sweets - candy
  • terrible - terribly
  • that - those
  • thief - robber - burglar
  • this - that
  • this - these
  • title - headline
  • toward - towards
  • transport - transportation
  • true - come true
  • try - attempt
  • under - below - beneath
  • understand - realize
  • until - till
  • upwards - upward
  • usual - usually
  • victim - casualty
  • wake - waken
  • -ward - -wards
  • weather - whether
  • westwards - westward
  • who - whom
  • wide - broad
  • widow - widower
  • win - defeat - beat
  • woman - lady
  • your - you're
  • yourself - yourselves
New from Collins
May 18, 2026
Word of the day
fortify
to strengthen, support, or reinforce (a garment, structure, etc)
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