high sea
Americannoun
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the sea or ocean beyond the three-mile limit or territorial waters of a state or nation.
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Usually high seas.
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the open, unenclosed waters of any sea or ocean; common waterway.
The book was inspired by her own adventures on the high seas.
Maritime pollution on the high seas is becoming a matter of grave consequence for coastal communities.
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Law. the area within which transactions are subject to the jurisdiction of the admiralty court.
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of high sea
First recorded before 1100
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.
The giant beast lived some 72 to 66 million years ago -- a period characterized by a warm climate, high sea levels and vast floodable coastal plains.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Record high sea surface temperatures are partly to blame, as is a likely shift in regional weather patterns.
From BBC ● May 23, 2024
A 2021 paper from researchers at the University of Washington found a third variable that appears to correlate with more velella sightings: unusually high sea surface temperatures.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2024
Using peer-reviewed research, these visual projections show how the climate and energy choices we make this decade will influence how high sea levels rise in the future.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 16, 2024
Was help for the Redcoats on the high sea, heading for Boston?
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
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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.