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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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

See Examples For:

Red Sea

With the Strait of Hormuz largely sealed by rival U.S and Iranian blockades, Riyadh shifted its exports from Hormuz, its main energy corridor, to the Red Sea coast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

In September, they routed pro-government fighters and captured Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The Royal Navy said Rice went on to Malta where he was land-based for 12 weeks before travelling through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

The kingdom weathered those disruptions relatively well, thanks to a pipeline that allowed it to reroute oil across the desert to the Red Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

The children drew back hastily to let her through and her progress across the asphalt was like that of Moses going through the Red Sea when the waters parted.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl