ocean

[oh-shuhn]

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.

ocean

/ 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

ocean

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.

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

• oceanlike adjective
• interocean adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ocean¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ocean¹

C13: via Old French from Latin ōceanus, from Greek ōkeanos _Oceanus

Example Sentences

The initiative was focused on growing ocean literacy, improving the sustainable management of the local marine heritage and promoting the health and wellbeing benefits of connecting with the ocean.

Read more on BBC

A few can even be sensed by taste, including the fine salt particles carried on ocean winds.

Read more on Science Daily

A dim light several meters away guided the hatchlings forward, mimicking the glow over the ocean that turtles instinctively follow.

Read more on Science Daily

High surf swept three people off the beach and into the ocean in Big Sur on Saturday, the second such incident at Garrapata State Park in a week.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On a normal cruise out of Florida, finding a free chair with a view of the ocean can be a fool’s errand, unless you’re willing to get up at daybreak.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• sea 
• tide