as in shallow
lacking significant physical depth
shoal waters of the bay meant that our ship had to be moored a considerable distance from shore
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Recent Examples of shoal
Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Parrotfish, angelfish, and thick shoals of bluestripe snappers colored the reef.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2025
McSorley, fatigued and with his radars on the blink, may have unwittingly bottomed out the boat on a shoal, damaging the plating underneath.
—Kevin Duchschere, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Days later, China’s powerful State Council declared a nature reserve over much of the shoal, drawing protests from both Manila and Washington over the unilateral move.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoal
Noun
The debris appears as a large cloud of dirty water seen beyond the shoals off Montego Bay.
—Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Parrotfish, angelfish, and thick shoals of bluestripe snappers colored the reef.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2025
McSorley, fatigued and with his radars on the blink, may have unwittingly bottomed out the boat on a shoal, damaging the plating underneath.
—Kevin Duchschere, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Days later, China’s powerful State Council declared a nature reserve over much of the shoal, drawing protests from both Manila and Washington over the unilateral move.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoal
Adjective
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When warmer air rides over that shallow layer of cold air at the surface, rain droplets can melt aloft and then refreeze on contact, leading to freezing rain.—
Troy Bridges,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
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For sleet, the warm layer is shallow, or closest to the surface, so freezing and refreezing occurs and ice pellets fall.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Arvest fund awarded $70M in tax credits A total of $70 million in New Market Tax Credits, designed to help banks support affordable housing, small businesses, growth development, manufacturing and essential community infrastructure, has been awarded to the Arvest Opportunity Fund.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
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Enter the Sharge Icemag 3, a new 10,000mAh power bank for smartphone users who need to replenish their phone’s battery quickly.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoal. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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