Indian Ocean

American  

[in-dee-uhn oh-shuhn] / ˈɪn di ən ˈoʊ ʃən /

noun

1. an ocean south of Asia, east of Africa, and west of Australia, with its deepest section in the Java Trench. 27,243,268 square miles (70,560,000 square kilometers).

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Indian Ocean British  

noun

1. an ocean bordered by Africa in the west, Asia in the north, and Australia in the east and merging with the Antarctic Ocean in the south. Average depth: 3900 m (13 000 ft). Greatest depth (off the Sunda Islands): 7450 m (24 442 ft). In December 2004 a major undersea earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami which affected large areas of the ocean as far away as east Africa, and killed an estimated 226 435 people. Area: about 73 556 000 sq km (28 400 000 sq miles)

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Indian Ocean Cultural  

1. Third-largest ocean (after the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean), extending from southern Asia to Antarctica and from eastern Africa to southeastern Australia.

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Etymology

Origin of Indian Ocean

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Indian Ocean

A SpaceX rocket has made an unexpected appearance off Christmas Island after touching down in the Indian Ocean following a test flight from Texas on 24 July.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Scientists have long believed that warm, salty water flowing from the Indian Ocean around the southern tip of Africa and into the Atlantic helps support one of the planet's most important ocean circulation systems.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

He played ballet dancer Billy Elliot in the West End before appearing as Naomi Watts’s son in 2012’s Oscar-nominated “The Impossible,” about the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

The ship serenely splashed into the Indian Ocean to wild cheers from SpaceX employees, who were watching live footage from the company's Starbase.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

He told Lupe of the two French islands east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham