plural oceans
often attributive
1
a
: the whole body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the earth
The ocean covers most of our planet, regulates our weather and climate, absorbs vast amounts of carbon dioxide, provides most of our oxygen, and feeds much of the human population.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
b
: any of the large bodies of water into which the great ocean is divided
the oceans of the world
2
: a very large or unlimited quantity or expanse
Could have made oceans of money.James Joyce
He would have oceans of time for his ride.P. G. Wodehouse
Jutting from an ocean of prairie, they [the Sangre de Cristo mountains] run north-south like an iguana spine …Skiing

Examples of ocean in a Sentence

We've sailed across hundreds of miles of ocean. the Pacific and Indian oceans
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The post-family worldview is really like putting kids on a floating piece of debris in the ocean. Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024 Some are snapshots — making paper airplanes, watching the Muppets, swimming in the ocean — while others more impressionistic: the smell of burning incense, the scratchy stubble on his father’s chin, the boney outline of his ankle, and the cold metal of his guitar strings. Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024 Advertisement Since the 1500s, sailors have told of sea monsters as long as their ships, and have even drafted maps that warned of areas in the ocean where such creatures resided. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024 The mammal, that gets its name from the fin on its back, near its tail, is found in oceans across the world. Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ocean 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English occean "the sea flowing around the land mass of the known world," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin Ōceanus, borrowed from Greek Ōkeanós, probably of pre-Greek substratal origin

Note: Preserved variants of Greek Ōkeanós, as Ōgḗn, Ōgenós, Ōgēnós, may indicate that the velar stop, whatever its original voicing, was palatalized (hence *ūkʸān-?)—strongly suggesting non-Indo-European origin. Old attempts to find an Indo-European origin (as a comparison with Sanskrit ā-śayāna- "lying on") are unconvincing.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ocean was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ocean

Cite this Entry

“Ocean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ocean. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

ocean

noun
1
: the whole body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the earth
2
: one of the large bodies of water into which the ocean is divided
oceanic
ˌō-shē-ˈan-ik
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on ocean

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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