sea oats

noun

plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: a tall grass (Uniola paniculata) that has panicles resembling those of the oat, grows chiefly on the coast of the southern U.S., and is useful as a sand binder
also : a related plant (Chasmanthium latifolium synonym U. latifolia) chiefly of the eastern U.S.

Examples of sea oats in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The shoreline here is wide and uncrowded, dotted with sand dunes and waving sea oats. Outside Online, 27 Aug. 2024 The mailbox, which surprisingly pops up from a landscape of sugar-white sand and sea oats swaying in the wind, creates a scene straight from a movie. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 26 July 2024 With sea oats gently swaying in the salty breeze and the effortless expanse of the ocean, beaches are undeniably enchanting. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 11 July 2024 Grasses, such as sea oats and seeded eucalyptus, can help fill out the arrangement. Michelle Brunner, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023 Crews then bury it in sand and allow the decomposing sea grass to feed the sea oats and build up sand dunes. Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 17 Mar. 2023 Those native plants include the Turk’s cap flower, the buttonbush and inland sea oats. Dallas News, 23 Aug. 2022 Most of the seedlings were sea oats, a hardy species that can be found all the way up the coast to New Jersey. Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2022 As morning glories and sea oats take root, dunes grow noticeably season to season. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sea oats.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sea oats was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near sea oats

Cite this Entry

“Sea oats.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20oats. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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