Red Sea

American  

noun

1. an arm of the Indian Ocean, extending northwest between Africa and Arabia: connected to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. 1,450 miles (2,335 kilometers) long; 170,000 square miles (440,300 square kilometers); greatest depth, 7,254 feet (2,211 meters).

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Red Sea British  

noun

1. a long narrow sea between Arabia and NE Africa, linked with the Mediterranean in the north by the Suez Canal and with the Indian Ocean in the south: occasionally reddish in appearance through algae. Area: 438 000 sq km (169 000 sq miles)

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Red Sea Cultural  

1. Narrow sea between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

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Discover More

According to the Bible (see also Bible), the Red Sea's waters parted to allow the Israelites, led by Moses, to escape the pursuing Egyptian army. The “Red Sea” of the biblical account, however, seems more likely to have been the marshy Sea of Reeds than the present-day Red Sea.

Probably named for the red algae that are sometimes present in its waters.

Etymology

Origin of Red Sea

Translation of Latin Mare Rubrum, from Greek Erythrà Thálassa “Red Sea,” a translation of Hebrew Yam Sūph “Sea of Reeds.” The reason for Erythrà (Thálassa) is unknown; perhaps Erythrà refers to seasonal blooms of red algae on the on the surface of the water, or to ancient associations of “red” with “south,” (as “black” with “north,” as in “Black Sea”)

Example Sentences

Saudi Arabia has redirected part of its oil exports via a pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

In late 2023, Houthi drone and missile attacks all but halted traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

George Shaw, senior insight analyst at Kpler, said the shipment arriving this week was loaded at a refinery in the Red Sea and did not pass the Strait of Hormuz.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

"War surcharges have caused rates from the Far East to the Middle East Gulf and Red Sea to spike by nearly 200 percent" from February 20 to March 20, it said in a report.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

They believed that when they reached the Mediterranean, it would part, like the Red Sea.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz