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).

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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)

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of Atlantic Ocean

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Scientists have uncovered something surprising in the Atlantic Ocean.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

Experts hope it will swim back to the North Sea through the straits between Germany, Denmark and Sweden and on to the Atlantic Ocean.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

These findings also shed light on the broader geodynamic history of the Atlantic Ocean.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

It troubles Serge Alain Niang'O that many of his fellow Ivorians know more about the famous descendants of African slaves trafficked across the Atlantic Ocean than their own ancestors.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

So here I am in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, thinking about my mom and praying on the sun to come up soon.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick