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

It also gobbled up nearly two-thirds of U.S. venture capital last year, with San Francisco Bay Area startups such as OpenAI leading the way, according to the business information platform Crunchbase.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

As climate change alters the food chain in the Arctic, more and more gray whales are moving into San Francisco Bay in search of food, putting them in harm’s way.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Now, the whales are so famished they are increasingly looking for food along the way, he said, including in the San Francisco Bay.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Migrating gray whales and ships are on a collision course in the San Francisco Bay, with at least seven whales dead so far this year—many from vessels—after 21 fatalities in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

On three occasions, Bobby went to Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay Area to visit Walter Browne, an Australian-American grandmaster.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady