shoal

1 of 5

adjective

shoal

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
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

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
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
They were designed to ferry enormous loads in their holds, up and down the Thames and its nearby rivers and estuaries, in shallow, shoaling waters, subject to notorious tides and nervous wind. William Booth, Washington Post, 24 July 2023 At this point, the heat may be mixed back up to the surface by a combination of shoaling currents, upwelling and turbulent mixing. Noel Gutiérrez Brizuela, The Conversation, 20 June 2023
Noun
Indeed, though it’s been mistakenly labeled a rom-com by some, the series demonstrably darkens as not just Emma and Dexter’s friendship but also their career ambitions, family ties and romantic relationships hit the shoals of advancing adulthood. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also made territorial claims to some of the shoals. Rebecca Wright, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 The South China Sea, however, is bereft of islands of any real significance, with most qualifying, at best, as atolls, islets, and shoals. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 28 Aug. 2023 Our empathy, and curiosity, keep crashing up against the rocky shoals of enervation. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024 During the mission on Saturday, the Philippine fisheries vessels moved a few yards away from the shoal after being blocked by the Chinese boats. Camille Elemia, New York Times, 11 Dec. 2023 In this activity, a group of whales cooperatively herd fish into a small volume of water where the shoal can be easily consumed. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 The Chinese coast guard on Sunday blamed the Philippine vessels for causing the collisions and said the Filipinos were carrying construction materials to strengthen their outpost at the shoal. Jim Gomez and Siminia Mistreaunu, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Oct. 2023 Despite the clear demonstration of his managerial prowess and unsurpassed technical know-how, his career hit rocky shoals. IEEE Spectrum, 25 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shoal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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)

1574, 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

Dictionary Entries Near shoal

Cite this Entry

“Shoal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoal. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shoal

1 of 3 adjective
: shallow entry 1 sense 1
shoal water

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"

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