shallows
Where wading happens
Shallows refers to a stretch of water that is not deep—the opposite of the depths.
The word appears almost exclusively in the plural: We waded through the shallows, fish spawning in the shallows.
Figuratively, shallows suggests superficiality: content that never ventures beyond the shallows of the topic.
Shallow water hazard
- bankPlace holding deposits
- barDrinking establishment
- ridgeNarrow raised strip
- spitExpelled mouth moisture
tombolo · sandbank · flats · grounding · stranding · hazard · navigation · channel
Land-water boundary
- seashoreOcean's edge
- beachSandy waterside margin
- coveSheltered coastal indentation
- bayPartially enclosed water
inlet · lagoon · estuary · tidepool · rockpool · foreshore · tideline · intertidal
Stroking water with blades
- splashingLiquid striking noisily
- barefootWearing no shoes
- ankle-deepSubmerged to the foot
- knee-deepImmersed to one joint
toddler · children · heron · egret · flamingo · stilts · beachcomber · footprints
shoal
Shallow water hazard
spit · tombolo · sandbank · flats · grounding · stranding · hazard · navigation · channel · dredging
shoreline
Land-water boundary
bay · inlet · lagoon · estuary · tidepool · rockpool · foreshore · tideline · intertidal · mudflat
paddling
Stroking water with blades
- splashingLiquid striking noisily
- barefootWearing no shoes
- ankle-deepSubmerged to the foot
knee-deep · toddler · children · heron · egret · flamingo · stilts · beachcomber · footprints · ripples
stream
Steady continuous flow
ford · crossing · current · pebbles · gravel · riverbed · streambed · freshwater · riparian · floodplain
coral
Marine skeletal formation
- snorkelingSurface swimming with breathing tube
- divingEntering water deliberately
- tropicalOf hot, humid regions
lagoon · atoll · barrier · marine · ecosystem · fishes · anemone · seagrass · kelp · habitat
- coastal habitatsshoreline, shorelines, tidal flat, coastline, mudflat
- lake habitatsshoreline, open water, lake bottom, deep water, reed beds
- shallowsshoal, sandbar, sandbank, reef, bank
- stream featuresriffle, pool, run, eddy, waterfall
- freshwaterponds, river water, freshwater lake, creek, brook
- ocean termsreef, sandbar, lagoon, estuary, tidal flat
shallowsdepths
Lowest or innermost regions
deeps · deep water · the deep · abyss · deep sea
- shallow endPool's shallowest part
- shallow waterLow-depth aquatic area
- shallow breathingMinimal lung expansion
- shallow grave
- shallow breathMinimal lung intake
- shallow rootsUnderground growth lacking depth
shallow, shallowness, shallowly, shallowing, shallowest, shallower