Illustration of atoll
: a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon
Did you know?
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Courtesy Kellie Carlson The attack The attack unfolded as Carlson and her family — all avid divers — were at the Lighthouse Reef atoll in the Caribbean Sea.
—
Morgan Chesky, NBC News, 31 Dec. 2024
These include Pacific atolls vaporized in mile-high explosions.
—Thomas Bass
author, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
And many higher echelon Maldivians, zigzagging between cozying up to India and China, appear to benefit from tourists who don’t look beyond the sun loungers and the cocktail bar on their private atoll.
—Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025
On their mission, during which Philippine ships passed out supplies to local fishermen, a fisheries bureau patrol plane observed a pair of Chinese coast guard ships near the atoll.
—Micah McCartney, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atoll 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Morgan Chesky, NBC News, 31 Dec. 2024
These include Pacific atolls vaporized in mile-high explosions.
—Thomas Bass
author, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
And many higher echelon Maldivians, zigzagging between cozying up to India and China, appear to benefit from tourists who don’t look beyond the sun loungers and the cocktail bar on their private atoll.
—Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025
On their mission, during which Philippine ships passed out supplies to local fishermen, a fisheries bureau patrol plane observed a pair of Chinese coast guard ships near the atoll.
—Micah McCartney, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atoll
Dictionary Entries Near atoll
Cite this Entry
“Atoll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atoll. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share