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
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But Hurricane Melissa has upended that expectation, leaving thousands stranded across Jamaica and neighboring islands as airports shut down and evacuation routes vanish.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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These areas include southern Thailand and the southern islands of Indonesia.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Sana Biotechnology recently demonstrated the gene-editing approach by transplanting donor islets of beta cells into a patient after genetically modifying the cells to evade the immune system.—
Tara Haelle,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
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The uninhabited islets became a focal point of tensions between China and Japan after Tokyo nationalized the chain in 2012.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atolls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atolls. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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