| Type of lake | Description | Examples |
| Artificial lake | They may be constructed for various purposes, such as hydroelectric power generation, recreation, industrial use, agricultural use, or domestic water supply. | Lake Mead and Lake Powell, USA |
| Crater lake | A lake that is formed in a volcanic crater after the volcano has been inactive for some time. Lake water may be fresh or highly acidic and may contain various dissolved minerals. | Mount Aso crater lake, Japan Taal Volcano, Phillippines |
| Endorheic lake | A lake that has no significant outflow, either through rivers or underground diffusion. | Lake Eyre, central Australia, Aral Sea in central Asia |
| Fjord lake | A lake in a glacially eroded valley that has been eroded below sea level. | Geirangerfjord, Norway Tracy Arm fjord, Alaska |
| Former lake | Prehistoric lakes and those that have permanently dried up through evaporation or human intervention. | Owens Lake in California, USA |
| Underground lake | A lake that is formed beneath the surface of the Earth’s crust. Such a lake may be associated with caves, aquifers, or springs. | Reed Flute cave, China Lake Vostok, Antarctica |
| Seasonal lake | A lake that exists as a body of water during only part of the year. | Badhkal lake and Sambhar lake, Rajasthan, India |
| Oxbow lake | Characterized by a distinctive curved shape, it is formed when a wide meander from a stream or a river is cut off. | Gambi lake on River Tana, Kenya |
| Lava lake | This term refers to a pool of molten lava in a volcanic crater or other depression. The term lava lake may also be used after the lava has partly or completely solidified. | Erta Ale, Ethiopia Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo |