shoal

1 of 5

adjective

ˈshōl 

: shallow

shoal

2 of 5

noun (1)

1

: shallow

2

: a sandbank or sandbar that makes the water shallow

shoal

3 of 5

verb (1)

shoaled; shoaling; shoals

intransitive verb

: to become shallow

transitive verb

1

: to come to a shallow or less deep part of

2

: to cause to become shallow or less deep

shoal

4 of 5

noun (2)

: a large group or number : crowd

a shoal of fish

shoal

5 of 5

verb (2)

shoaled; shoaling; shoals

intransitive verb

: throng, school

Synonyms of shoal

Adjective

• shallow

Noun (1)

• bank
• ford

Examples of shoal in a Sentence

Adjective

shoal waters of the bay meant that our ship had to be moored a considerable distance from shore

Noun (1)

the shoals off Nantucket Island are famous as the final resting places of many ill-fated ships

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Stretching across more than 139,000 hectares, Hanifaru Bay is home to coral reefs with colorful shoals of fish, turtles, manta rays, and whale sharks. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026

The offerings of any decent oyster shucker will change according to the seasons and the tides and the shoals and the shipping lines and the harbor freight and the rush-hour traffic on the interstate. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026

Verb

Raja Ampat, Indonesia Raja Ampat is an Indonesian archipelago made up of 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals off the northwest tip of New Guinea. — Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2026

Frese noted that this coloration pattern may indicate a shoaling behavior, in which fish gather in loose social groups. — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

alteration of Middle English shold, from Old English sceald — more at skeleton

Noun (2)

Middle English *shole, from Old English scolu multitude — more at school

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1554, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

circa 1585, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1579, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1610, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shoal

• bole
• bowl
• coal
• droll
• foal
• goal
• hole
• knoll
• kol
• mole
• noll
• nolle

Kids Definition

shoal

1 of 3 adjective

ˈshōl 

: shallow entry 1 sense 1

shoal water

shoal

2 of 3 noun

1

: a place where a sea, lake, or river is shallow

2

: a sandbank or sandbar just below the surface of the water

shoal

3 of 3 noun

: school entry 3

a shoal of pilot fish

Etymology

Adjective

Old English sceald "shallow"

Noun

Old English scolu "great number"