A shoalof fish is a large group of them swimming together.
Among them swam shoals of fish. [+ of]
...tuna shoals.
Synonyms: sandbank, shelf, shallow, sand bar More Synonyms of shoal
shoal in British English1
(ʃəʊl)
noun
1.
a stretch of shallow water
2.
a sandbank or rocky area in a stretch of water, esp one that is visible at low water
verb
3.
to make or become shallow
4. (intransitive) nautical
to sail into shallower water
adjective also: shoaly
5. a less common word for shallow
6. nautical
(of the draught of a vessel) drawing little water
Derived forms
shoaliness (ˈshoaliness)
noun
Word origin
Old English scealdshallow
shoal in British English2
(ʃəʊl)
noun
1.
a large group of certain aquatic animals, esp fish
2.
a large group of people or things
verb
3. (intransitive)
to collect together in such a group
Word origin
Old English scolu; related to Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schōleschool2
shoal in American English1
(ʃoʊl)
noun
1.
a large group; mass; crowd
2.
a large school of fish
verb intransitive
3.
to come together in or move about as a shoal or school
Word origin
via dial. < OE scolu, multitude, school of fish, akin to Du school < IE *skēl- < base *(s)kel-, to cut > shield
shoal in American English2
(ʃoʊl)
noun
1.
a shallow place in a river, sea, etc.; a shallow
2.
a sandbar or piece of rising ground forming a shallow place that is a danger to navigation, esp. one visible at low water
verb intransitive
3.
to become shallow
verb transitive
4.
to make shallow
5.
to sail into a shallow or shallower part of (water)
SYNONYMY NOTE: shoal2 applies to any place in a sea, river, etc. where the water is shallow and difficultto navigate; , bank2, in this connection, applies to a shallow place, formed by an elevated shelf of ground,that is deep enough to be safely navigated by lighter vessels; a , reef1 is a ridge of rock, coral, etc. lying at or very close to the surface of the sea,just offshore; , bar1 applies to a ridge of sand, etc. silted up across the mouth of a river or harborand hindering navigation
Derived forms
shoaly (ˈshoaly)
adjective
Word origin
< earlier adj. shoal, shallow < ME scholde < OE sceald, shallow; akin to OE *scealw, shallow
Examples of 'shoal' in a sentence
shoal
This time there were huge shoals of fish so dense you could barely see five yards ahead.
The Sun (2010)
They are following the movements of the fish shoals.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
When shoals were abundant, the value of a fish was simply the cost of catching it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Our boat's radar showed shoals of fish swimming blithely beneath our craft.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Look down and you'd see herds of goats and camels scatter in unison like shoals of fish.
Aidan Hartley THE ZANZIBAR CHEST: A Memoir of Love and War (2003)
The shoals are ridiculously large.
The Sun (2010)
He was actually sailing through numerous rocky shoals raked by dangerous currents and when the wind picked up again the ships were driven towards the north shore.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Nowadays we do not catch such vast shoals as they did in the past but herring stocks are generally considered in good shape and are fished sustainably.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Tuna, which target mackerel, have in turn followed the shoals northwards.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
A plea: their huge shoals are under threat from overfishing, seek out producers who are committed to sourcing them sustainably.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
shoal
British English: shoal NOUN
A shoal of fish is a large group of them swimming together.
Among them swam shoals of fish.
American English: shoal
Brazilian Portuguese: cardume
Chinese: 鱼群
European Spanish: banco
French: banc
German: Schwarm
Italian: banco
Japanese: 群れ
Korean: > 떼물고기
European Portuguese: cardume
Latin American Spanish: banco
Chinese translation of 'shoal'
shoal
(ʃəul)
n(c)
[of fish]群 (qún)
(noun)
Definition
a sandbank or rocky area, esp. one that can be seen at low water