as in banks
a place where a body of water (as a sea or river) is shallow
the shoals off Nantucket Island are famous as the final resting places of many ill-fated ships
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Recent Examples of shoals
China claims almost all of the sea, including areas that overlap with exclusive economic zones from countries like the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, and has been building out structures on some shoals in recent years to bolster its claims.
—
Joanna Ossinger, CNBC, 30 May 2026
Rose Island Lighthouse stands on a rocky heap of land in Narragansett Bay, guiding ships away from the shallow shoals of Newport Harbor.
—Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
As a result, the wide, shallow bay, with its lacework of shoals and basins, grows hot and hypersaline, killing seagrass, fueling algae blooms and hurting the economy of the Keys.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
The island is surrounded by reefs and shoals, and is home to several historical sites, parks and viewpoints.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
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
Joanna Ossinger, CNBC, 30 May 2026
Rose Island Lighthouse stands on a rocky heap of land in Narragansett Bay, guiding ships away from the shallow shoals of Newport Harbor.
—Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
As a result, the wide, shallow bay, with its lacework of shoals and basins, grows hot and hypersaline, killing seagrass, fueling algae blooms and hurting the economy of the Keys.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
The island is surrounded by reefs and shoals, and is home to several historical sites, parks and viewpoints.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoals
Noun
-
Barr notes that the share of large banks rated as well-managed under the new, more permissive framework doubled from the end of 2024 to recent observations — not because banks got better, but because the grading curve was relaxed.—
Mayra Rodriguez Valladares,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
The Wall Street banks are competing to fete clients ahead of the SpaceX listing.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
One partner holds his end of the seine on shore while the other partner wades through the shallows holding the other, sweeping the seine in a wide arc to herd minnows toward the bank.—
Chad Mason,
Outdoor Life,
3 June 2026
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As the boat pulls in, the children clamber over the side, wading through the shallows past abandoned, submerged school buildings.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoals. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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