coral

noun

cor·​al ˈkȯr-əl How to pronounce coral (audio)
ˈkär-
1
a
: the calcareous or horny skeletal deposit produced by anthozoan or rarely hydrozoan polyps
especially : a richly red precious coral secreted by a gorgonian (genus Corallium)
b
: a polyp or polyp colony together with its membranes and skeleton
2
: a piece of coral and especially of red coral
3
a
: a bright reddish ovary (as of a lobster or scallop)
b
: a deep pink
coral adjective
coralloid
ˈkȯr-ə-ˌlȯid How to pronounce coral (audio)
ˈkär-
adjective

Examples of coral in a Sentence

brightly colored fishes swimming among the coral
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This year, funding was supposed to ramp up to $25 million a year to pay for boats, air tanks, and divers to get the corals out of the nurseries and onto the reef. — Nicolás Rivero, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 The geographic features are hot spots of biodiversity, with corals, sponges and even an octopus garden, just like in the Beatles song. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Food production will drop, people will go hungry, water shortages will worsen, economies will be hurt and species like coral will go extinct, the report said. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 Line Islands corals show a similar mean increase but far wider scatter, which the researchers partly attribute to these records’ reliance on oxygen isotopes alone. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for coral

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin corallium, from Greek korallion

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of coral was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing coral

Rhymes for coral

See All Rhymes for coral

Browse Nearby Words

corail
coral
coral bead
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coral. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

coral

noun
cor·​al ˈkȯr-əl How to pronounce coral (audio)
ˈkär-
1
a
: the stony or horny deposit that is composed of the skeletons of various polyps
especially : a richly red coral used in jewelry
b
: a polyp or polyp colony together with its membranes and skeleton
2
: a deep pink
coral adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on coral

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about coral

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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