ocean

American  

[oh-shuhn] / ˈoʊ ʃən /

noun

1. any part of or the entirety of salt water that covers more than 70 percent of the earth's surface.

   Most of her adult life had been spent on the ocean, first on a fishing boat, then in the navy, now as a marine biologist.

2. any of the geographical divisions of the earth’s salt water, in particular, the five identified as the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans.

3. a vast expanse or quantity.

   oceans of opportunity;

   the ocean of people at Woodstock.

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ocean British  

/ ˈəʊʃən /

noun

1. a very large stretch of sea, esp one of the five oceans of the world, the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic

2. the body of salt water covering approximately 70 per cent of the earth's surface

3. a huge quantity or expanse

   an ocean of replies

4. literary the sea

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ocean Scientific  

/ ō′shən /

1. The continuous body of salt water that covers 72 percent of the Earth's surface. The average salinity of ocean water is approximately three percent. The deepest known area of the ocean, at 11,034 m (36,192 ft) is the Mariana Trench, located in the western Pacific Ocean.

2. Any of the principal divisions of this body of water, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans.

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Usage

The word ocean refers to one of the Earth's four distinct, large areas of salt water, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. The word can also mean the entire network of water that covers almost three quarters of our planet. It comes from the Greek Okeanos, a river believed to circle the globe. The word sea can also mean the vast ocean covering most of the world. But it more commonly refers to large landlocked or almost landlocked salty waters smaller than the great oceans, such as the Mediterranean Sea or the Bering Sea. Sailors have long referred to all the world's waters as the seven seas. Although the origin of this phrase is not known for certain, many people believe it referred to the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Black Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Indian Ocean, which were the waters of primary interest to Europeans before Columbus.

Other Word Forms

• interocean adjective
• oceanlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of ocean

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ocean(e), from Old French or directly from Latin ōceanus, special use of Ōceanus Oceanus, from Greek ōkeanós, Ōkeanós

Explanation

You know that vast, wet expanse of blue that keeps crashing waves on the beach? That's the ocean. Atlantic, Pacific, Indian...these are just a few of the big oceans of the world. If Columbus hadn't sailed the ocean blue in 14 hundred ninety-two, America would have never been discovered. Home to sharks, mermaids, sailboats, and tsunami waves, the ocean makes up most of the planet Earth. But you can use ocean to describe anything similarly vast and limitless, like an endless ocean of fans at a rock concert.

Example Sentences

As the capsule splashes down, the parachutes will instantaneously deflate when the risers are severed ... and we'll see the parachutes fall into the ocean.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The ocean off Humboldt is “everything” to the tribe, she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

The group is trying to protect 80 houses on Baxter Road, an enclave with spectacular ocean views and named properties such as “Owl’s Nest.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

For centuries, the ocean has threatened to swallow Nantucket, a pork-chop-shaped barrier island 30 miles off Massachusetts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

“Capture that ocean and put it right here on this canvas,” the man replied boldly, holding up the empty square of white.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• sea
• tide