Small lakes can be described using a variety of different synonyms depending on their characteristics. Some common alternatives to the phrase small lakes include ponds, tarns, meres, lagoons, and reservoirs. Ponds are usually shallow bodies of water that are smaller than lakes and can be natural or manmade. Tarns are small mountain lakes and are often found at high altitudes. Mere is a term commonly used in England to refer to natural standing water, whereas lagoons are typically found along coastlines and are shallow bodies of saltwater. Reservoirs, on the other hand, are manmade lakes created for the purpose of storing water. All of these terms can be used interchangeably with small lakes depending on the specific context and characteristics of the body of water in question.