Shoal

Pronunciation: /ʃoʊl/

Definitions of shoal

noun a large group of fish swimming together

Example Sentences

A1 The fish swim together in a shoal.

A2 The boat got stuck on a shoal of rocks.

B1 The shoal of herring was a beautiful sight in the water.

B2 Dolphins are known to hunt in shoals for their prey.

C1 The shoal of fish moved gracefully in unison, creating a mesmerizing display.

C2 Scientists study the behavior of shoals to understand how fish communicate and navigate in groups.

Examples of shoal in a Sentence

formal A shoal of fish was seen swimming near the coral reef.

informal We spotted a big shoal of fish while snorkeling.

slang Check out that massive shoal of fish over there!

figurative The crowd outside the concert venue resembled a shoal of fish moving in unison.

Grammatical Forms of shoal

• past tense: shoaled
• plural: shoals
• comparative: more shoal
• superlative: most shoal
• present tense: shoal
• future tense: will shoal
• perfect tense: have shoaled
• continuous tense: is shoaling
• singular: shoal
• positive degree: shoal
• infinitive: to shoal
• gerund: shoaling
• participle: shoaling

Origin and Evolution of shoal

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'shoal' originated from Middle English 'scole' or 'shold', which came from Old English 'sceolu' meaning a large group of fish.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'shoal' has expanded its meaning to not only refer to a large group of fish but also to a sandbank or shallow area in a body of water where the water is shallow enough for fish to congregate.