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Synonyms

mean sea level

American  
[meen see lev-uhl] / ˈmin ˈsi ˈlɛv əl /

noun

  1. Oceanography. the average height of the ocean's surface, as measured frequently and during all fluctuations of tides and atmospheric conditions over an extended time, usually a number of years.

mean sea level British  

noun

  1. (in the UK) the sea level used by the Ordnance Survey as a datum level, determined at Newlyn in Cornwall See sea level

"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
mean sea level Scientific  

  1. See under sea level

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.

Last year, the global mean sea level was around 11 centimetres higher than when satellite altimetry records began in 1993.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

Maximum projected distant-source tsunamis could bring waves of 15 feet above mean sea level to the Santa Monica Pier and Marina del Rey and 32 feet at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2025

The Met Office said the mean sea level pressure reading for England and Wales in November is the lowest ever, breaking a record which had stood since 1916.

From Washington Times • Nov. 2, 2023

According to the World Meteorological Organization, global mean sea level rose by 4.5 millimeters per year between 2013 and 2022.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2023

Big Blue River rises at about 1,800 feet above mean sea level and joins the Kansas River at an elevation of 1,000 feet above m. s. l.

From Fishes of the Big Blue River Basin, Kansas by Minckley, W. L.

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.