barrier reef
noun
: a coral reef roughly parallel to a shore and separated from it usually by a lagoon
Examples of barrier reef in a Sentence
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Part of the third-largest living coral barrier reef system in the world, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is home to 6,000 animal species, many of which swim above spur-and-groove reefs (corals separated by channels of sand) that rarely dip below the 45-foot mark.
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Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025
Despite most of the terrain being endless shades of green, I was stunned to find the Calibishie Red Rocks on a barrier reef, an area filled with nooks of sea caves and crannies where waves crash high into the sky.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 17 Aug. 2025
Florida’s Coral Reef is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world and the only living coral barrier reef in the continental U.S.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2025
Rock House is a luxury resort boasting turquoise water and a white sand beach, surrounded by one of the world’s largest barrier reefs that wraps around the archipelago.
—Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
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Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025
Despite most of the terrain being endless shades of green, I was stunned to find the Calibishie Red Rocks on a barrier reef, an area filled with nooks of sea caves and crannies where waves crash high into the sky.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 17 Aug. 2025
Florida’s Coral Reef is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world and the only living coral barrier reef in the continental U.S.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2025
Rock House is a luxury resort boasting turquoise water and a white sand beach, surrounded by one of the world’s largest barrier reefs that wraps around the archipelago.
—Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barrier reef
Cite this Entry
“Barrier reef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barrier%20reef. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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