How do you use the word "reef" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "reef": The ship was wrecked on a sunken reef. I went snorkeling in a beautiful coral reef.

Reef Meaning

/ɹiːf/

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounA chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water.

nounA large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.

Sentence Examples

The ship was wrecked on a sunken reef.

I went snorkeling in a beautiful coral reef.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

rand

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

During the trip, the diver explored a colorful coral ____ teeming with many fish.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

The coral ____ was home to thousands of species of fish and marine invertebrates.

Word Origin & History

From earlier riff, from Middle English rif, from Old Norse rif (“rib, reef”), from Proto-Germanic *ribją (“rib, reef”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rebʰ- (“arch, ceiling, cover”). Dutch rif (“reef”), Low German riff, reff (“reef”), German Riff (“reef, ledge”) are also borrowed from Old Norse. Doublet of rib.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"They sailed as if they were stark mad; they never took in a reef in the sail, and when the seas filled the boat, they sailed her up on the back of a wave till she stood nearly on end, the water rushing out over her stern as out of a spout." — 1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 49:

""When the day arrived that the boy was to be skipper, the weather was calm and fine, but he called all men to reef sails, so the ship had scarcely any sail on her."" — 1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 188:

"Mains are made smaller by reefing. This can be done by rolling up the sail around the boom, or by the more traditional method of tying down a panel along the foot." — 1995, David Seidman, The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing, page 104:

"The reefing system for a mainsail must be designed to operate efficiently under adverse conditions and to provide proper sail shape when reefed." — 2004, Charlie Wing, How Boat Things Work, page 108:

"And when the Cup came on he stirred them up ′round the barrier and he flew out of the barrier and he pulled and reefed and pulled and reefed and Lewis didn′t let him settle down until about three furlongs from home and when he did settle the horse was all out of stride and he went back through the field a fair bit." — 1986, Jan Wositzky, Me and Phar Lap: The Remarkable Life of Tommy Woodcock, published 2011, page 49:

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