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Showing results for atoll. Search instead for atolls.
Synonyms

atoll

American  
[at-awl, -ol, -ohl, uh-tawl, uh-tol, uh-tohl] / ˈæt ɔl, -ɒl, -oʊl, əˈtɔl, əˈtɒl, əˈtoʊl /

noun

  1. a ring-shaped coral reef or a string of closely spaced small coral islands, enclosing or nearly enclosing a shallow lagoon.

atoll British  
/ əˈtɒl, ˈætɒl /

noun

  1. a circular coral reef or string of coral islands surrounding a lagoon

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of atoll

First recorded in 1615–25; earlier atollon, from French: a word used in early descriptions of the Maldive Island atolls; said to be Divehi ( Indo-Aryan language of the Maldives) atoḷu

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The airbase on the small, remote atoll is strategically located and is capable of accommodating long-range bombers.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

When the Marines headed toward the beach on the Tarawa atoll in 1943, things didn’t go well.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Under a contentious deal inked with Australia this year, the island nation will provide 30-year visas for up to 350 immigrants -- many convicted of serious crimes -- for resettlement on the barren atoll.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

The crew was astonished at the beauty of the atoll, a postcard photo of South Seas paradise.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025

On the second day his company was assembled on the top deck and told that they were moving toward Tarawa atoll, where they would go ashore at Betio, a strongly defended island.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.