Shoal Definition

shōl
shoals
noun
shoals
A shallow place in a river, sea, etc.; a shallow.
Webster's New World
A large group; mass; crowd.
Webster's New World
A large school of fish.
Webster's New World
A sandbar or piece of rising ground forming a shallow place that is a danger to navigation, esp. one visible at low water.
Webster's New World
The definition of a shoal is a large group, particularly of fish, or a sandy, shallow area of water.
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.
YourDictionary
Synonyms:
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verb
shoals
To come together in or move about as a shoal or school.
Webster's New World
To become shallow or shallower.
Webster's New World
To make shallow.
The approach to the harbor was shoaled in the storm.
American Heritage
To come or sail into a shallower part of.
American Heritage
Shoal is defined as to come together in a group, or to become shallow, or to sail into a shallow part of the water.
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.
YourDictionary
Synonyms:
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adjective
Having little depth; shallow.
American Heritage
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Shoal

Noun

Singular:
shoal
Plural:
shoals

Origin of Shoal

  • 1570, presumably from Middle English *shole (“school of fish"), from Old English sceolu, scolu (“troop or band of people, host, multitude, division of army, school of fish"), from Proto-Germanic *skulō (“crowd"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kÊ·el- (“crowd, people"). Cognate with West Frisian skoal (“shoal"), Middle Low German schōle (“multitude, troop"), Dutch school (“shoal of fishes").

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English schold, scholde, from Old English sceald (“shallow"), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *skalidaz, past participle of *skaljanÄ… (“to go dry, dry up, become shallow"), from *skalaz (“parched, shallow"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel- (“to dry out"). Cognate with Low German Scholl (“shallow water"), German schal (“stale, flat, vapid"). Compare shallow.

    From Wiktionary

  • Probably Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schōle skel-1 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English shold shallow, shallows from Old English sceald shallow

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Shoal Sentence Examples

  • There was a shoal of mackerel in the area.

  • Blood spilled at sea will turn away the white fish shoal.

  • An elevation of small extent is distinguished as a " dome " when it is more than 100 fathoms from the surface, a " bank " when it is nearer the surface than 100 fathoms but deeper than 6 fathoms, and a " shoal " when it comes within 6 fathoms of the surface and so becomes a serious danger to shipping.

  • Some of the sandbanks are dry; and no part of the shoal has a greater depth than 3 or 4 ft.

  • On the 28th of September the first real battle of the war was fought off the Kentish Knock, a shoal opposite the coast of Essex.

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Words Starting With

SSHSHO

Words Ending With

LALOAL

Unscrambles

shoal

Words Starting With S and Ending With L

Starts With S & Ends With LStarts With SH & Ends With LStarts With S & Ends With AL

Word Length

5 Letter Words5 Letter Words Starting With S5 Letter Words Ending With L