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shoal

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The definition of a shoal is a large group, particularly of fish, or a sandy, shallow area of water.

(noun)

An example of a shoal is a school of goldfish.
An example of a shoal is a sandbar that makes a shallow place in the water.

Shoal is defined as to come together in a group, or to become shallow, or to sail into a shallow part of the water.

(verb)

An example of shoal is for a group of bluefish to come together and travel.
An example of shoal is for the water level to drop significantly.
An example of shoal is to take a sailboat into a shallow portion of the bay.

See shoal in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a large group; mass; crowd
a large school of fish

Origin: via dial. < OE scolu, multitude, school of fish, akin to Du school < IE *skēl- < base *(s)kel-, to cut > shield

intransitive verb

to come together in or move about as a shoal or school

noun

a shallow place in a river, sea, etc.; a shallow
a sandbar or piece of rising ground forming a shallow place that is a danger to navigation, esp. one visible at low water

Origin: < earlier adj. shoal, shallow < ME scholde < OE sceald, shallow; akin to OE *scealw, shallow

intransitive verb

to become shallow

transitive verb

to make shallow
to sail into a shallow or shallower part of (water)

Related Forms:

shoaly adjective

See shoal in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A shallow place in a body of water.
A sandy elevation of the bottom of a body of water, constituting a hazard to navigation; a sandbank or sandbar.

verb shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals

verb, intransitive

To become shallow: The river shoals suddenly here from eight to two fathoms.

verb, transitive

To make shallow: The approach to the harbor was shoaled in the storm.
To come or sail into a shallower part of.

adjective

Having little depth; shallow.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English shold, shallow, shallows

Origin: , from Old English sceald, shallow

noun

A large group; a crowd.
A large school of fish or other marine animals.

intransitive verb shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals

To come together in large numbers; throng.

Origin:

Origin: Probably Middle Low German

Origin: or Middle Dutch schōle; see skel-¹ in Indo-European roots

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