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Mediterranean Sea

American  

noun

  1. a sea surrounded by Africa, Europe, and Asia. 2,400 miles (3,865 kilometers) long; 1,145,000 square miles (2,965,550 square kilometers); greatest known depth 14,436 feet (4,400 meters).


Mediterranean Sea British  

noun

  1. Ancient name: Mare Internum. a large inland sea between S Europe, N Africa, and SW Asia: linked with the Atlantic by the Strait of Gibraltar, with the Red Sea by the Suez Canal, and with the Black Sea by the Dardanelles, Sea of Marmara, and Bosporus; many ancient civilizations developed around its shores. Greatest depth: 4770 m (15 900 ft). Length: (west to east) over 3700 km (2300 miles). Greatest width: about 1370 km (850 miles). Area: (excluding the Black Sea) 2 512 300 sq km (970 000 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

Mediterranean Sea Cultural  
  1. Sea surrounded by Europe, Asia, and Africa.


Etymology

Origin of Mediterranean Sea

First recorded in 1550–60

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 shipping disaster in 2021 shows how blocking the strait — and thus severing a link to the Mediterranean Sea — could harm global commerce.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

The Mediterranean Sea absorbs heat during summer, increasing evaporation and contributing to heavier rainfall when storms develop.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Alternatively, stick to Europe and watch from the Rock of Gibraltar, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, where you can expect more than 4 minutes of totality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Now, the country is pivoting toward yet another workaround, this time looking north to the Mediterranean Sea to export its crude.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

It ran across the Mediterranean Sea to the island of Crete and then on to Cyrenaica in North Africa.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

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