open water

noun

plural open waters

: water that is clear of obstacles to passage or view : water that is open (see open entry 1 sense 7a)

The word marsh conjures up a mental picture of a soggy, flat area filled with cattails and other herbaceous vegetation, with ducks sitting on patches of open water.

—Robert H. Mohlenbrock

often, specifically : water that is free of ice

When the river froze in the fall, a mile of open water had been left between two mighty jams.

—Jack London

Polynyas were areas of persistent open water, found throughout the circumpolar arctic, places kept ice-free by currents and wind patterns.

—David R. Masiel

Because the penguins feed in the ocean, they typically set up colonies near open water and must establish new nests when the coastline becomes covered in … ice.

—Science News

Examples of open water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, descending below Titan’s frozen surface may lead not to open water, but to thick slush, icy tunnels, and pockets of meltwater closer to its rocky core. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Dec. 2025

Dragonflies hover below, while a fish hawk circles above, scanning the open water between the reeds. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025

Lake-effect snowstorms occur when cold, dry air travels over open water, sucking up moisture that is released when the air mass hits land. —Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025

Those who enjoy taking to the open water will appreciate the boat lift and dock—the latter also serving as a prime perch from which to watch the sunset—but there’s also a massive pool with a clear aquarium-style wall at one end. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for open water

• annunciator
• imprimatur
• underwater
• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater