as in shallow
lacking significant physical depth
shoal waters of the bay meant that our ship had to be moored a considerable distance from shore
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Recent Examples of shoal
Kim Velsey, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2024
Hope is always crashing against the shoals of disappointment.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Their collective movement combined with their bold stripes creates even more visual confusion for predators that are seeking to target one individual in the shoal, particularly as these small stripey fish are feeding on the reef.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Time and again, China’s subversive statecraft has run aground on the shoals of accountable political systems.
—Audrye Wong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
See all Example Sentences for shoal 
Noun
Ocean currents, winds, and Nantucket’s many coastal shoals make every site unique.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2024
Hope is always crashing against the shoals of disappointment.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Their collective movement combined with their bold stripes creates even more visual confusion for predators that are seeking to target one individual in the shoal, particularly as these small stripey fish are feeding on the reef.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Time and again, China’s subversive statecraft has run aground on the shoals of accountable political systems.
—Audrye Wong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
See all Example Sentences for shoal
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Cite this Entry
“Shoal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoal. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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