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]
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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.
Because of severe injuries to her front flippers, believed to have been caused by a shark attack, staff feared she might never be strong enough to survive at sea.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
After clocking 200 days and 50,000 nautical miles at sea, it set out in January to practice hunting submarines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Koenig told The Los Angeles Times that when it was canceled he was "totally at sea" with "no reason to get up in the morning."
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
Back in March, the U.S. said it would temporarily allow Russia to sell oil that had already been loaded onto tankers at sea.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
When Darwin returned to England after five years at sea, he was already a minor celebrity among natural historians.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
