barrier reef

noun

Definition of barrier reefnext
as in coral reef

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barrier reef Wells, 18, was last seen celebrating the July 4 holiday with friends on Horn Island, a barrier reef off Mississippi accessible only by boat. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2026 Roughly 15 minutes from San Pedro, the shallow patch-reef complex sits inside the main barrier reef. — Sarah Bruning, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026 Just offshore lies the Mesoamerican Reef, the largest barrier reef system in the Western Hemisphere and the second-largest in the world, an extremely vulnerable ecosystem. — Natalie Leticia Gallón, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026 Grace Bay consistently ranks among the world’s most beautiful beaches, partly because a barrier reef a mile offshore keeps the waters calm and free of swells. — Vanita Salisbury, AFAR Media, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for barrier reef
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barrier reef
coral reef
Noun
  • The world’s coral reef ecosystems almost all face a high risk of collapse in the next 50 years mostly due to warming oceans and heat waves, according to a global assessment released Thursday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Caught in four episodes ranging from high tide in the Australian coral reef to just before dawn in the Kalahari Desert.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of coral reef

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barrier
barrier reef
barrier reefs
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Cite this Entry

“Barrier reef.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barrier%20reef. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on barrier reef

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about barrier reef

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