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

This wide lens shape is made to improve underwater visibility both in the pool and open water. —Marisa Petrarca, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2024

Confusing his crew and directly defying his first mate — who suggested taking some cover with a safer, shore-hugging route — Captain Burke ordered the 244-foot ship to stay its course across the open water, per the historical society. —Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024

When pools shuttered during lockdowns, many indoor swimmers ventured outside and began swimming in open water. —Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2024

On Upper Lake that ice can look really thick and appear safe, but this winter even though the ice on the edges appears to be up to 10 inches thick, the middle of the lake is still open water. —USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024

Baitfish like shad and blueback herring begin to spawn by the thousands along shallow shoreline cover like docks and grass lines and on shallow rocky humps out in otherwise open water. —Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2024

The annual Art Shanty Projects festival on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis in January had to be cut short due to open water and unsafe ice. —Steve Karnowski, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2024

Before his vehicle sank into frigid open water, he was rescued by Carlson’s E.M.T. colleagues. —Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024

And, if your pup is up for a swim, grab a paddleboard and float along the Catawba River, through shaded tributaries and open water. —Liz Logan, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above