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shallow end

shallow end

5 2.0
The part of a pool where the water is not deep and safe for beginners
  • noun
  • /ˈʃæloʊ ɛnd/
translation icon : parte poco profunda
  • The lifeguard always keeps an eye on the kids splashing around in the shallow end of the pool.
  • the shallow end of the pool
  • stay in the shallow end
  • walk around the shallow end

You know, doing a couple of, you know, doing a couple of laps in the old shallow end.

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Examples

  • The pool sparkles turquoise, and the baskets of calla lilies float lazily around the tiled steps at the shallow end.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The children played safely in the shallow end of the pool while the adults swam in the deeper part.

  • Aim for the shallow end.

  • Just stay in the shallow end.

  • We kept them in the shallow end.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • One Saturday afternoon, I watched a group of children taking lessons in the shallow end.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Joe paddled toward the shallow end of the pool, moving as quietly as possible.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • I want to throw the ball for them, dive for the plastic toys they let fall to the floor of the shallow end, and hold them.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Every day at sunrise, he's out in the pool, splashing around in the shallow end to wake himself up.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The jacuzzi sits in an enclosure at the shallow end of the swimming pool.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

shallow
vsshallow end
14 3.3

A part of a river or sea that is not deep

is the specific pool area used by beginners and children

Surface Forms

shallow end singular
shallow ends plural

Morphology

shallow + end

The meaning ‘the part of a pool where the water is not deep’ is directly and transparently built from 'shallow' (not deep) + 'end' (a part or section), so a learner who knows both words can infer the referent. This is a straightforward adjective-noun composition and a common locative usage in English (and similar in many languages), making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Shallow end is the part of a pool where the water is low: shallow means 'not deep' and end means a side of the pool. Because people can stand there, the shallow end is the place 'for beginners' and 'safer' to learn to swim.