seafloor

noun

sea·​floor ˈsē-ˌflȯr 

variants or less commonly sea floor

plural seafloors also sea floors

: the floor of a sea or ocean : seabed

The Earth's crust, in this view, is divided into several immense plates that make up the continents and seafloors, and that all float on a hot, plastic, subterranean "mantle."

—Walter Sullivan

Examples of seafloor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kubiak and his peers argue that the trawlers diminish their fish stocks and also cause broader damage to the seafloor. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Deep sea drilling Endurance Energy’s deployment required a subsea lander drill to deploy from the ship Ocean Guardian—operated by Stabbert Maritime—and drill two holes in the seafloor at a depth of about 5,000 feet (1,524 meters). — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026

Water conditions, food sources and even the composition of the seafloor can influence their flavor and appearance. — Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Its retreat has altered the glacier’s geometry and relationship with the seafloor, meaning that simply reducing ocean melting may not restore its earlier state on century-long timescales. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing seafloor

• seafloor spreading

Rhymes for seafloor

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore

Kids Definition

seafloor

noun

sea·​floor -ˌflō(ə)r 

-ˌflȯ(ə)r

: seabed