seafloor

noun

sea·​floor ˈsē-ˌflȯr How to pronounce seafloor (audio)
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 Both sets of rocks were of the sort that had formed from sediments deposited on shallow coastal seafloors near some of the rare pieces of land. Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 21 Oct. 2024 At first glance, the mantis shrimp is an unassuming crustacean that spends its days scuttling along the seafloor. Scott Travers, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. CNN — A mile and a half beneath the ocean’s surface, the seafloor seems nearly as alien as the surfaces of other planets. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Oct. 2024 That rocky seafloor could provide energy and chemicals through underwater volcanoes that could make Europa’s ocean habitable. Mike Sori, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for seafloor 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seafloor.' 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

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of seafloor was in 1853

Dictionary Entries Near seafloor

Cite this Entry

“Seafloor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seafloor. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

seafloor

noun
sea·​floor -ˌflō(ə)r How to pronounce seafloor (audio)
-ˌflȯ(ə)r
: seabed

More from Merriam-Webster on seafloor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!