Pacific Ocean

American  

[puh-sif-ik oh-shuhn] / pəˈsɪf ɪk ˈoʊ ʃən /

Often the Pacific

noun

1. the largest of the world’s five principal oceans, bordered by the American continents, Asia, and Australia, with its deepest section in the Mariana Trench: divided by the equator into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. 62,455,900 square miles (161,760,000 square kilometers).

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Pacific Ocean British  

noun

1. the world's largest and deepest ocean, lying between Asia and Australia and North and South America: almost landlocked in the north, linked with the Arctic Ocean only by the Bering Strait, and extending to Antarctica in the south; has exceptionally deep trenches, and a large number of volcanic and coral islands. Area: about 165 760 000 sq km (64 000 000 sq miles). Average depth: 4215 m (14 050 ft). Greatest depth: Challenger Deep (in the Marianas Trench), 11 033 m (37 073 ft). Greatest width: (between Panama and Mindanao, Philippines) 17 066 km (10 600 miles)

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Pacific Ocean Cultural  

1. The largest ocean in the world, separating Asia and Australia on the west from North America and South America on the east.

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Etymology

Origin of Pacific Ocean

First recorded in 1560–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pacific Ocean

The third floor features four en suite bedrooms, along with a primary bedroom facing the Pacific Ocean, with a spa-worthy bath, fireplace, and an ocean-facing deck.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

By comparing the modern climate with several centuries of past conditions, they were also able to judge how unusual the current weakening of Indian and Pacific Ocean coupling really is.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

El Niño - or the warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean - is continuing to strengthen and is expected peak in November or December as a historic event.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

The Long Beach Peninsula is a narrow section of upscale homes with beaches on both sides — one facing Alamitos Bay, the other facing the Pacific Ocean.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Mr. P didn’t want me dead, but I don’t think he would have minded if I’d been the only survivor of a plane that crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie