sea glass

noun

variants or less commonly sea-glass

ˈsē-ˌglas 

plural sea glasses also sea-glasses

: small pieces of glass that have been physically and chemically weathered by exposure to the sea and that typically have a frosted and often pitted appearance

Walkers can spot sea glass, shells, weathered bottles or stray fishing floats washed in from offshore.

—Mandy Applegate

Where regular gems are made by nature and then refined by humans, sea glass is man-made but then refined by nature.

—Callum Osment

Her art includes pieces crafted with pencil, watercolour, acrylic, pen and ink, and sometimes collage materials like shells and sea-glass.

—Miranda Norris

compare beach glass

Examples of sea glass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Summer’s top nail trends take their cues from jelly sandals, sea glass, and white-sand beaches. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 20 June 2026

Perkins Cove Pottery Shop is stocked with original work from former store owner Chris Davis, as well as stone vases, sea glass garden stakes, and other one-of-a-kind pieces. — Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 19 June 2026

The primary suite is set apart for privacy and includes a spa-style bath; the property website describes terrazzo floors made of crushed marble and tumbled sea glass. — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2026

People collect shells, coral, sea glass, driftwood, egg cases, fossils, agates, pumice. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2026

Handcrafted by Colombian artisans, this design reminds us of sea glass washed ashore or the remnants of some ship captain’s message in a bottle. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sea glass

• alas
• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• crabgrass
• crevasse
• eelgrass
• eyeglass
• groundmass
• harass
• impasse
• jackass