as in islands
a ring-shaped land mass surrounded by water and made of coral
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Recent Examples of atolls
The main islands, including Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Oahu and Kauai, are among a chain of islands, atolls, reefs and volcanoes beneath the sea that stretches 1,700 miles in the Pacific Ocean.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
With roughly 180 resorts spread across its atolls, there are dozens of worthy five-star escapes to choose from.
—Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
That includes lifeguard Renan Ulloa at the Parks department, which is ending lifeguard service at natural swimming holes known as atolls.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Known as the Xisha Islands in China and Hoang Sa Islands in Vietnam, the chain of reefs and atolls lies about 300 nautical miles south of the Chinese mainland and has long been a regional flashpoint.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2025
Some Pacific atolls sit just 1 to 2 meters above sea level and are slowly disappearing as waters rise.
—Lauren Gifford, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025
These include Pacific atolls vaporized in mile-high explosions.
—Thomas Bass
author, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Located off the coast of India, the Maldives has a population of about 525,000 across more than 1,000 islands and atolls.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN, 26 Nov. 2024
Tuvalu is located in the South Pacific, and is composed of several atolls and reef islands.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 1 Oct. 2024
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
With roughly 180 resorts spread across its atolls, there are dozens of worthy five-star escapes to choose from.
—Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
That includes lifeguard Renan Ulloa at the Parks department, which is ending lifeguard service at natural swimming holes known as atolls.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Known as the Xisha Islands in China and Hoang Sa Islands in Vietnam, the chain of reefs and atolls lies about 300 nautical miles south of the Chinese mainland and has long been a regional flashpoint.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2025
Some Pacific atolls sit just 1 to 2 meters above sea level and are slowly disappearing as waters rise.
—Lauren Gifford, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025
These include Pacific atolls vaporized in mile-high explosions.
—Thomas Bass
author, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Located off the coast of India, the Maldives has a population of about 525,000 across more than 1,000 islands and atolls.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN, 26 Nov. 2024
Tuvalu is located in the South Pacific, and is composed of several atolls and reef islands.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 1 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atolls
Noun
-
Southern New Zealand and Antarctic research stations will see the best views, whilst some Pacific islands will also get a show.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Later the same month, the NMESIS system and its ship-killing Naval Strike Missile were deployed to Okinawa in Japan's southwestern islands.—
Shane Croucher
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The channel forked into a series of smaller canals, each branching farther or looping around islets or petering out into dead ends.—
Nathaniel Rich,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
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Rent one from Sea Panarea to discover hidden coves, sea caves, and the nearby islets of Basiluzzo and Lisca before settling in for sunset Negronis at the see-and-be-seen Bar del Porto.—
Nicky Swallow,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atolls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atolls. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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