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Atlantic Ocean

American  
[at-lan-tik oh-shuhn] / ætˈlæn tɪk ˈoʊ ʃən /
Often the Atlantic

noun

  1. an ocean bounded by North America and South America in the Western Hemisphere and by Europe and Africa in the Eastern Hemisphere, with its deepest section in the Puerto Rico Trench: divided by the equator into the North Atlantic Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean. 32,870,000 square miles (85,133,000 square kilometers).


Atlantic Ocean British  

noun

  1. the world's second largest ocean, bounded in the north by the Arctic, in the south by the Antarctic, in the west by North and South America, and in the east by Europe and Africa. Greatest depth: 9220 m (30 246 ft). Area: about 81 585 000 sq km (31 500 000 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Atlantic Ocean Cultural  
  1. Second-largest ocean in the world, separating North America and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east.


Etymology

Origin of Atlantic Ocean

First recorded in 1600–10

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.

See Examples For:

A major Atlantic Ocean current is slowing, and the consequences could reach far beyond the Atlantic.

From Science Daily Jul. 28, 2026

The archipelago of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean, with a population of just under 525,000 according to the latest figures from the World Bank, have now held their own against two World Cup stalwarts.

From BBC Jun. 22, 2026

During the northern hemisphere summer, warm waters associated with El Nino can fuel hurricanes in the central and eastern Pacific, while hindering their development in the Atlantic Ocean.

From Barron's Jun. 2, 2026

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh sought answers by examining more than 20 years of ocean sampling data collected from Fram Strait, a key passage where Arctic waters flow into the Atlantic Ocean.

From Science Daily May 28, 2026

Now we were heading straight toward the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England coastline off to our right.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

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