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
Recent Examples on the Web
The atoll is also an experimental site for innovative technologies and methods to combat climate change.
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Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Jan. 2025
The rest of the top 10 rankings went to island escapes, including American Samoa, a US territory that includes seven South Pacific islands and atolls near Fiji; the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwest Africa, Portugal's the Azores; and Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean.
—Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Dec. 2024
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
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Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Jan. 2025
The rest of the top 10 rankings went to island escapes, including American Samoa, a US territory that includes seven South Pacific islands and atolls near Fiji; the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwest Africa, Portugal's the Azores; and Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean.
—Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for atoll
Cite this Entry
“Atoll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atoll. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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