shoal

1 of 5

adjective

ˈshōl How to pronounce shoal (audio)
Synonyms of shoal
: shallow

shoal

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
: shallow
2
: a sandbank or sandbar that makes the water shallow

shoal

3 of 5

verb (1)

shoaled; shoaling; shoals

intransitive verb

: to become shallow

transitive verb

1
: to come to a shallow or less deep part of
2
: to cause to become shallow or less deep

shoal

4 of 5

noun (2)

: a large group or number : crowd
a shoal of fish

shoal

5 of 5

verb (2)

shoaled; shoaling; shoals

intransitive verb

: throng, school

Synonyms of shoal

Relevance

Adjective

Noun (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of shoal in a Sentence

Adjective shoal waters of the bay meant that our ship had to be moored a considerable distance from shore Noun (1) the shoals off Nantucket Island are famous as the final resting places of many ill-fated ships
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
As the Philippine ships approached the shoal on Friday, several larger China Coast Guard ships pulled close enough that CNN’s crew could see the faces of the personnel on board. — Ivan Watson, CNN Money, 24 July 2026 The Philippine coast guard, however, said the two fishing vessels were harassed while bringing fuel aid to Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough shoal. — ABC News, 22 July 2026
Verb
Raja Ampat, Indonesia Raja Ampat is an Indonesian archipelago made up of 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals off the northwest tip of New Guinea. — Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2026 Frese noted that this coloration pattern may indicate a shoaling behavior, in which fish gather in loose social groups. — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shoal

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

alteration of Middle English shold, from Old English sceald — more at skeleton

Noun (2)

Middle English *shole, from Old English scolu multitude — more at school

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1554, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

circa 1585, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1579, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoal was circa 1554

Rhymes for shoal

See All Rhymes for shoal

Browse Nearby Words

Shoah
shoal
shoal duck
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shoal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoal. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

shoal

2 of 3 noun
1
: a place where a sea, lake, or river is shallow
2
: a sandbank or sandbar just below the surface of the water

shoal

3 of 3 noun
: school entry 3
a shoal of pilot fish
Etymology

Adjective

Old English sceald "shallow"

Noun

Old English scolu "great number"

More from Merriam-Webster on shoal

Nglish: Translation of shoal for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shoal

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