at sea
Idioms-
Aboard a ship, on the ocean, as in Within a few hours the ship would be out at sea . During World War II a famous American newscaster addressed his radio broadcasts to listeners everywhere, including “all the ships at sea.” [1300s]
-
Also, all at sea . Perplexed, bewildered, as in She was all at sea in these new surroundings . This idiom transfers the condition of a vessel that has lost its bearings to the human mind. Charles Dickens used it in Little Dorrit (1855): “Mrs. Tickit ... was so plainly at sea on this part of the case.” [Second half of 1700s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Copernicus takes measurements using billions of satellite and weather readings, both on land and at sea, and their data extends back to 1940.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
They never arrived, and might have been lost at sea after the ship they were on was sunk.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
The crossings came after Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
It also allows Manila to progress in learning how to receive resupplies at sea from the U.S. or allies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
He’d been wild about pirates for months now, ever since Nate started telling him stories about his adventures at sea.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
