shoals

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But based on oral arguments, I think this may be yet another case that crashed into the shoals of Alabama’s terrible lawyering.

From Slate • May 23, 2026

So after a rewrite, Mary Richards launches her best life from the shoals of a broken engagement instead.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026

“It’s clear that he has navigated the fraught shoals of the bureaucratic politics of the administration effectively. He hasn’t ticked off anybody who matters, and that’s a lot by itself.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

Hope is always crashing against the shoals of disappointment.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2024

The log checked the speed, the lookout warned of dangers they could see, and the lead warned of dangers beneath the surface of the water—sudden shoals and reefs where they might go aground.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham