shoals

plural of shoal
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 shoals The shoals attract diving gannets and orcas. David Greig september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025 Also of note is the Landsford Canal State Park in May or June, when the riverside is covered in rocky shoals spider lilies. Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoals
Noun
  • Afghanistan, like everywhere else today, depends on connectivity for banks, hospitals, airports, government services, and private enterprise.
    Zahra Nader, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Images broadcast online show queues outside banks as customers tried to withdraw cash.
    Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Weather and tides play a role, too; strand feeding is most often seen during low to mid-tide, when the shallows make hunting easier.
    Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The aquatic plant once lined the shallows off the bay’s shoreline from Sausalito’s Spinnaker restaurant north to the Strawberry Peninsula point — the second largest bed in San Francisco Bay.
    Steven Rosenfeld, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shoals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoals. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on shoals

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!