Illustration of atoll
: a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon
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If you are lucky enough to sail south and west of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, you'll find the Maldives, a group of about 1,200 coral islands and sandbanks that form the Republic of Maldives. Many islands in that independent nation demonstrate the archetypal atoll, and geographers often use them to point out the characteristic features of such coral islands. Given how prevalent atolls are there, it isn't surprising that atoll comes from the name for that kind of island in Divehi, the official language of the Maldives.
Examples of atoll in a Sentence
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As a low-lying atoll, Nauru is at a higher risk for rising sea levels and biodiversity loss, prompting the world's third-smallest nation to introduce the Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
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Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
The incident took place Tuesday morning local time as a plane belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was flying what Philippine officials said was a routine low-altitude patrol over the Scarborough Shoal, an atoll that is mostly underwater but is rich in fish stocks.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025
In short, atolls might not be such outliers in this world after all.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 26 June 2024
The atoll is also an experimental site for innovative technologies and methods to combat climate change.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Jan. 2025
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Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
The incident took place Tuesday morning local time as a plane belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was flying what Philippine officials said was a routine low-altitude patrol over the Scarborough Shoal, an atoll that is mostly underwater but is rich in fish stocks.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025
In short, atolls might not be such outliers in this world after all.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 26 June 2024
The atoll is also an experimental site for innovative technologies and methods to combat climate change.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atoll
Cite this Entry
“Atoll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atoll. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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