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
Brian Higgins, Outside, 2 Mar. 2026
Under the cover of night on July 30, 1949, the Amethyst quenched all its lights on board and shadowed a passing Chinese merchant ship, the Kiangling Liberation, following it through the tricky shoals of the river.
—Anne Ewbank, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
The little sluiceways through the shoals were only a few inches deep, so the coontail moss was also that much closer to the surface.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Waters off the point are treacherous, including colliding currents, shoals and sandbars.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoal
Noun
As the southern Gulf Stream clashes with the northern Labrador Current, the rough waters steer sailors toward shallow shoals and ultimate disaster.
—Brian Higgins, Outside, 2 Mar. 2026
Under the cover of night on July 30, 1949, the Amethyst quenched all its lights on board and shadowed a passing Chinese merchant ship, the Kiangling Liberation, following it through the tricky shoals of the river.
—Anne Ewbank, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
The little sluiceways through the shoals were only a few inches deep, so the coontail moss was also that much closer to the surface.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Waters off the point are treacherous, including colliding currents, shoals and sandbars.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoal
Adjective
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The race there begins somberly in the museum before runners bound up one flight of stairs into a hallway that leads into the main stairwell; from there, the steps settle into continuous, shallow right turns providing a repetitive, hypnotic cadence.—
Michelle Sinclair Colman,
Curbed,
7 May 2026
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Water sloshed across a shallow, rocky shelf, sweeping away the sediments there, along with the algae that serves as the primary food source for this species.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Noun
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That said, take a broad look at your savings account options now and don't dismiss the benefits banks with local branches can still offer, as not all institutions will interpret today's interest rate climate in the same way.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
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On Sunday, the bank unveiled a $70 billion program to expand energy grids and digital infrastructure across the Asia-Pacific region by 2035.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoal. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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