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Shoal

Noun CEFR C2 Specialized
ʃəʊl

Definitions

  1. A sandbank or sandbar creating a shallow.
  2. Any large number of persons or things.
  3. A shallow in a body of water.
  4. A large number of fish (or other sea creatures) of the same species swimming together.

Equivalents

31 more languages

Examples

“'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yardpeonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.”
The god himself with ready trident stands, / And opes the deep, and spreads the moving sands, / Then heaves them off the shoals.”
The depth of your pond should be six feet; and on the sides some shoals for the fish to sun themselves in and to lay their spawn.”
Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory, / And sounded all the depths and shoals of honour.”
Shoals of tourists
great shoals of people
“c. 1661, Edmund Waller, On St. James's Park Beneath, a shoal of silver fishes glides.”
“He came directly from the shoal which we had just before entered, and in which we had struck three of his companions, as if fired with revenge for their sufferings.”

CEFR level

C2
Mastery
This word is part of the CEFR C2 vocabulary — mastery level.
See all C2 English words →

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