San Francisco Bay

American  

noun

1. a bay in western California: the harbor of San Francisco; connected with the Pacific Ocean by the Golden Gate strait. 50 miles (80 kilometers) long; 3–12 miles (5–19 kilometers) wide.

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San Francisco Bay British  

noun

1. an inlet of the Pacific in W California, linked with the open sea by the Golden Gate strait. Length: about 80 km (50 miles). Greatest width: 19 km (12 miles)

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San Francisco Bay Cultural  

1. Located in northern California; entered from the Pacific Ocean through a strait called the Golden Gate.

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Example Sentences

For example, travelers from the San Francisco Bay Area were shown “substantially higher” hotel prices than people booking the same hotels from other parts of the country, a 2025 investigation by SFGate found.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

More substantial rain is expected in the San Francisco Bay Area.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

In 2025, a record number of 21 dead gray whales were found in the broader San Francisco Bay.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

The bass have consumed so many fingerlings that state officials have resorted to the ridiculous extreme of transporting baby salmon in tanker trucks, from upstream hatcheries to downstream locations closer to the San Francisco Bay.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Percy looked out over San Francisco Bay and breathed in the salty sea air.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan