atoll
Americannoun
noun
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
Explanation
An atoll is an island formed by a ring-shaped coral reef encircling a lagoon. The word comes from the language of the Maldives, an island chain in the Indian Ocean famous for gorgeous beaches and coral reefs. The word atoll appeared in English in the early 17th century, when the British and the Dutch were vying for control of Indian Ocean trade. You may have heard of Bikini Atoll, in the South Pacific — where the U.S. did extensive nuclear testing in the 1940s and 1950s. Its people were moved to neighboring atolls but haven’t been able to return because of lingering radiation. Even so, Bikini Atoll has become a destination for divers interested in WWII shipwrecks.
Vocabulary lists containing atoll
Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High School
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Pacific Islands - Introductory
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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
In the spring of 1951, the lab staged Project Greenhouse, a test of thermonuclear technology at the South Pacific coral atoll of Eniwetok.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
