Illustration of atoll
: a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon
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If you are lucky enough to sail south and west of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, you'll find the Maldives, a group of about 1,200 coral islands and sandbanks that form the Republic of Maldives. Many islands in that independent nation demonstrate the archetypal atoll, and geographers often use them to point out the characteristic features of such coral islands. Given how prevalent atolls are there, it isn't surprising that atoll comes from the name for that kind of island in Divehi, the official language of the Maldives.
Examples of atoll in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The accident occurred in Rangiroa, an atoll known for drift diving and snorkeling, on Sunday, April 5.
—
Adam England, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026
It's really isolated on Motu To’opua, an atoll opposite the main island of Bora Bora.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 May 2026
The Republic of the Marshall Islands, or RMI, is situated roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia and comprises 29 atolls, five islands, and 1,151 inlets, spread across 750,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Apr. 2026
One of them is the lack of detailed geological research on the atoll and its surrounding seabed.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atoll
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Adam England, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026
It's really isolated on Motu To’opua, an atoll opposite the main island of Bora Bora.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 May 2026
The Republic of the Marshall Islands, or RMI, is situated roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia and comprises 29 atolls, five islands, and 1,151 inlets, spread across 750,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Apr. 2026
One of them is the lack of detailed geological research on the atoll and its surrounding seabed.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atoll
Cite this Entry
“Atoll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atoll. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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