noun

shoal

shohl

noun

A large group of fish swimming together.

"A shoal of mackerel scattered as the seal approached."

"You could see the shoal glinting silver just below the surface."

A shallow, often sandy, stretch of water or the sandbank causing it.

"The captain steered wide to avoid the shoal near the harbour mouth."

adj

Shallow.

"The boat could only pass at high tide, the water being too shoal otherwise."

How to Use Shoal

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither a big group of fish swimming together, or a shallow patch of water/sandbank.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "school" (also correct for fish) or "shoal" the shallow-water sense — context usually makes it clear which is meant.

Easily confused with

shallow → shole

Common pairings

a shoal of fish run aground on a shoal

shoaler comparative, shoaled past tense, shoaled past tense, shoals plural, shoals plural, shoals singular, shoals singular, shoalest superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

A _____ of mackerel scattered as the seal approached.

From Old English sceald ("shallow"); the fish sense developed as a separate, related word for a shallow gathering of fish.

school

school college

coal foal goal charcoal

school college