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

Involves engineering hurdles Building solar farms on open water involves far more engineering hurdles than bolting panels onto dry land. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026

Many have shipped the idea of the show being set on the open waters. — Peter White, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026

The boat’s capsize triggered a fleet of emergency vessels to the open waters between the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn shore. — Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

There’s a lot of laughing and screaming [performance] notes across the open water. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for open water

• imprimatur
• underwater
• auteur
• blotter
• cotter
• daughter
• hotter
• mater
• otter
• plotter
• rotter
• slaughter