sea lion

noun

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of sea lion

: any of several Pacific eared seals (such as genera Eumetopias and Zalophus) that are usually larger than the related fur seals and lack a thick underfur

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Recent Examples of sea lion from the Web

Recent unusual ocean heat has been linked to deaths of sea lions, whales, seabirds and crabs.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Global warming is making ocean heat waves longer, slowing down underwater currents," 11 Apr. 2018
There will be a Galapagos exhibit featuring sea lions, sharks, giant tortoises and other species.

— rebecca hazen, Houston Chronicle, "$150 million campaign announced for Houston Zoo," 9 Apr. 2018
Even without an embedded swimming pool, the Loba House intrigues, offering direct access to the waters, and facing a sea lion reserve.

— lauren ro, Curbed, "This concrete cliff house is the definition of brutal," 3 Apr. 2018
The largest sea lions are twice as big as the largest bears, for example, and manatees outweigh their cat-size hyrax cousins by nearly 500 kilograms.

— angus chen, Science | AAAS, "Sea mammals are huge for a reason," 26 Mar. 2018
Worried biologists report more than a dozen sea lions - nine California and five sturgeon-loving Steller's - hauled out below the falls last weekend, the highest number ever seen this early, especially the Steller's.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "Two-rod rule will be re-instated for Willamette spring chinook season," 24 Jan. 2018
Tepper donated $250,000 toward a new sea lion exhibit at New Jersey’s Turtle Back Zoo in 2012.

— joseph person, katherine peralta and rick rothacker, charlotteobserver, "Billionaire’s row: A deep look at the potential bidders for the Carolina Panthers | Charlotte Observer," 16 Mar. 2018
There will also be special encounters lined up with some of the zoo's biggest hits like elephants, jaguars, and sea lions.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Drink craft beer for a good cause at the Houston Zoo's first-ever Brew at the Zoo event," 8 Mar. 2018
This abundance of food draws in sea lions, harbor seals and, more rarely, elephant seals, which breed at Año Nuevo to the south.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bay Area coast’s secret haunt for great white sharks," 22 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sea lion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.