shoal

[ shohl ]

/ ʃoʊl /

noun

a place where a sea, river, or other body of water is shallow.

a sandbank or sand bar in the bed of a body of water, especially one that is exposed above the surface of the water at low tide.

adjective

of little depth, as water; shallow.

verb (used without object)

to become shallow or more shallow.

verb (used with object)

to cause to become shallow.

Nautical. to sail so as to lessen the depth of (the water under a vessel).

Words nearby shoal

shnorrer, sho, shoa, shoad, shoah, shoal, shoaly, shoat, shochet, shock, shock absorber

Origin of shoal

before 900; (adj.) Middle English (Scots) shald, Old English sceald shallow; (noun and v.) derivative of the adj.

SYNONYMS FOR shoal

1 shallow, rapid, riffle.

2 reef.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR shoal ON THESAURUS.COM

Definition for shoal (2 of 2)

shoal²

[ shohl ]

/ ʃoʊl /

noun

any large number of persons or things.

a school of fish.

verb (used without object)

to collect in a shoal; throng.

Origin of shoal

1570–80; earlier shole, probably < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German schōle, with sound-substitution of sh- for Low German skh-; cf. school²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for shoal

He had made up his mind to sail the brig in and risk the hazards of shoal water.
Blackbeard: Buccaneer|Ralph D. Paine
So that, between this latitude and Shoal Ness, in latitude 60°, the coast is entirely unexplored.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16|Robert Kerr
Leaning over the edge of the rock, he saw a shoal of tiny fishes playing hide-and-seek in the eddies of the stream.
Harper's Young People, April 26, 1881|Various
The weather being bad, it was not without great difficulty that the fleet, which had got into shoal water, could work off again.
How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves|W.H.G. Kingston

“I always come below and put my feet on the table after we pass the Shoal of Seals,” he explained.
The Pony Rider Boys in Alaska|Frank Gee Patchin

British Dictionary definitions for shoal (1 of 2)

shoal¹

/ (ʃəʊl) /

noun

a stretch of shallow water

a sandbank or rocky area in a stretch of water, esp one that is visible at low water

verb

to make or become shallow

(intr) nautical to sail into shallower water

adjective Also: shoaly

a less common word for shallow

nautical (of the draught of a vessel) drawing little water

Derived forms of shoal

shoaliness, noun

Word Origin for shoal

Old English sceald shallow

British Dictionary definitions for shoal (2 of 2)

shoal²

/ (ʃəʊl) /

noun

a large group of certain aquatic animals, esp fish

a large group of people or things

verb

(intr) to collect together in such a group

Word Origin for shoal

Old English scolu; related to Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schōle school ²

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

Scientific definitions for shoal

shoal

[ shōl ]

A submerged mound or ridge of sediment in a body of shallow water.

shoal

noun

adjective

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Words related to shoal

Words nearby shoal

Origin of shoal

SYNONYMS FOR shoal

Definition for shoal (2 of 2)

noun

verb (used without object)

Origin of shoal

Examples from the Web for shoal

British Dictionary definitions for shoal (1 of 2)

noun

verb

adjective Also: shoaly

Derived forms of shoal

Word Origin for shoal

British Dictionary definitions for shoal (2 of 2)

noun

verb

Word Origin for shoal

Scientific definitions for shoal