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

Example Sentences

This dim region contains more living biomass than any other part of the ocean.

From Science Daily

Carrying cranes across an ocean is a balancing act.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the deep ocean, scientists are now facing a similar kind of unease, driven by the unexplained absence of a crucial species.

From Science Daily

An airship crashes into the ocean with three golfers apparently oblivious as they hole out on a seaside course.

From BBC

She starves herself for her cause, crosses oceans and tills land to create the utopia that she believes is possible.

From Salon

Related Words

• sea
• tide