ocean

noun, often attributive \ ˈō-shən \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Examples: ocean in a Sentence

Definition of ocean

1 a : the whole body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the earth

b : any of the large bodies of water (such as the Atlantic Ocean) into which the great ocean is divided

2 : a very large or unlimited space or quantity

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See ocean defined for kids

Examples of ocean in a Sentence

We've sailed across hundreds of miles of ocean.
the Pacific and Indian oceans

Recent Examples of ocean from the Web

Warmer air and ocean water have diminished sea ice.

— kelsey brugger, Scientific American, "Alaska Wants to Fight Warming While Still Drilling for Oil," 12 July 2018
Thousands of beachgoers who sought relief wading in 65-degree ocean water were met with more accommodating conditions than earlier in the week.

— ruben vives, victoria kim and sarah parvini, Anchorage Daily News, "Southern California sets all-time heat records," 7 July 2018
Thousands of beachgoers who sought relief wading in 65-degree ocean water were met with more accommodating conditions than earlier in the week.

— hailey branson-potts, latimes.com, "Homes destroyed by fires and temperature records shattered as heat wave slams Southern California," 7 July 2018
Hurricanes need the fuel of warm ocean water to develop and strengthen.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Atlantic hurricane season forecast changes for the better with fewer storms predicted," 3 July 2018
The ice acts as a barrier to exchanging heat with the atmosphere and blocks sunlight from reaching the ocean water, helping keep the Arctic colder in the summer.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "Barents Sea seems to have crossed a climate tipping point," 26 June 2018
If Season 1 was wading into the ocean water, Season 2 was that unexpected drop-off.

— wired staff, WIRED, "We Need to Talk About That Westworld Season 2 Finale," 25 June 2018
Kylie Clatterbuck of International Bird Rescue says her organization worries warming ocean waters may be drying up the beach-going birds' main food source, which is fish.

— john rogers, Fox News, "Bird rescue group rehabilitates, releases starving pelicans," 13 June 2018
It is known to be losing ice rapidly because it is being melted from below by warm ocean waters, a process that is rendering its largest glaciers unstable.

— chris mooney, courant.com, "Antarctic ice loss has tripled in a decade. If that continues we are in serious trouble.," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ocean.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ocean

Middle English occean, from Anglo-French, from Latin oceanus, from Greek Ōkeanos, a river thought of as encircling the earth, ocean

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

ocean Synonyms

Synonyms

abysm, abyss, chasm, deep, gulf;

Related Words

cleft, crevasse, crevice, fissure;

cavern, hole, hollow, pit;

breadth, expanse, extent, reach, spread, stretch;

black hole, emptiness, nothingness, vacancy, vacuum, void;

Other Oceanography Terms

littoral, sound

OCEAN Defined for English Language Learners

ocean

noun

Definition of ocean for English Language Learners

: the salt water that covers much of the Earth's surface
: one of the five large areas of salt water that cover much of the Earth's surface
: a very large number or amount of something