Illustration of atoll
: a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon
Did you know?
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
Potential profits have encouraged traffickers to ship massive amounts of illicit drugs to both countries, often across the Pacific Ocean from South America via the Pacific Islands, a loose cluster of thousands of islands and atolls.
—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
Hawkes was born in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and adopted as a baby by an American family who raised him in Utah, thousands of miles from the coral atolls of his birthplace.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 June 2026
Darwin suspected that atolls formed when coral grew around volcanoes, creating a ring that remained when the volcano subsided.
—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
19 June 2026
Although the volcanic archipelago includes 137 islands, most of the Hawaiian islands are tiny uninhabited atolls, reefs or islets.
—
Brianna Randall,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for atoll
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Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
Hawkes was born in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and adopted as a baby by an American family who raised him in Utah, thousands of miles from the coral atolls of his birthplace.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 June 2026
Darwin suspected that atolls formed when coral grew around volcanoes, creating a ring that remained when the volcano subsided.
—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
19 June 2026
Although the volcanic archipelago includes 137 islands, most of the Hawaiian islands are tiny uninhabited atolls, reefs or islets.
—
Brianna Randall,
Forbes.com,
30 May 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 27 Jun. 2026.
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