shoal

[ shohl ]

/ ʃoʊl /

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See synonyms for: shoal / shoaled / shoaler / shoalest on Thesaurus.com

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).

OTHER WORDS FOR shoal

1 shallow(s), ford.

2 reef.

See synonyms for shoal on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of shoal

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective shold(e), Old English scealdshallow; noun and verb derivative of the adjective

Other definitions for shoal (2 of 2)

shoal²

[ shohl ]

/ ʃoʊl /

noun

any large number of persons or things.

a school of fish: a shoal of herring;a shoal of mackerel.

verb (used without object)

to collect in a shoal; throng.

Origin of shoal

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier shole, probably from 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. 2023

How to use shoal in a sentence

This shoaling has rendered continuous dredging necessary at every harbour on the lake west of Erie, Pa.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various
When near the bank, and in shoaling water, we saw the objects rise, until three Indians and three ponies stood revealed.
Captured by the Navajos|Charles A. Curtis
Shoaling of water by accumulation of sediment would permit the development of more swamp plant life.
Geology|William J. Miller
It was not high, because the tide was falling and the water shoaling fast, but it broke angrily and the air was thick with spray.
Johnstone of the Border|Harold Bindloss

"The water's shoaling rapidly, sir," repeated the second lieutenant.
The Dealings of Captain Sharkey|A. Conan Doyle

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

OTHER WORDS FOR shoal

Origin of shoal

Other definitions for shoal (2 of 2)

Origin of shoal

Words related to shoal

How to use shoal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shoal (1 of 2)

Derived forms of shoal

Word Origin for shoal

British Dictionary definitions for shoal (2 of 2)

Word Origin for shoal

Scientific definitions for shoal