open sea

American  

noun

1. the main body of a sea or ocean, especially the part that is outside territorial waters and not enclosed, or partially enclosed, by land.

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Example Sentences

While there is debate about why so many Chinese fishing vessels would gather in geometric formations in the open sea, experts widely agree that they were not there to fish.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Most existing wave energy devices perform well only under specific wave conditions, limiting their effectiveness in the constantly shifting environment of the open sea.

From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026

ITF inspector Nathan Smith tells me that he expects the tanker's fate will be resolved only when the oil is transferred off the ship through a ship-to-ship transfer in open sea.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026

The style Matthiessen conjures is almost visual, with fragments of scene description and lines of unattributed dialogue arranged on the page like solitary brushstrokes or like breakers of spume on the open sea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Princesse watched her own skin grow visibly darker as she sat near the open sea, the waves spraying a foam of white sand onto her toes.

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat