sea

[ see ]

/ si /

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See synonyms for: sea / seaer / seaest on Thesaurus.com

noun

the salt waters that cover the greater part of the earth's surface.

a division of these waters, of considerable extent, more or less definitely marked off by land boundaries: the North Sea.

one of the seven seas; ocean.

a large lake or landlocked body of water.

the degree or amount of turbulence of the ocean or other body of water, as caused by the wind.

the waves.

a large wave: The heavy seas almost drowned us.

a widely extended, copious, or overwhelming quantity: a sea of faces; a sea of troubles.

the work, travel, and shipboard life of a sailor: The sea is a hard life but a rewarding one.

Astronomy. mare³.

adjective

of, relating to, or adapted for use at sea.

OTHER WORDS FOR sea

8 multitude, host, abundance, mass.

See synonyms for sea on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about sea

at sea,

on the ocean.
perplexed; uncertain: completely at sea as to how to answer the question.

Also asea.

follow the sea, to pursue a nautical career: Many boys then dreamed of following the sea.

go to sea,

to set out on a voyage.
to embark on a nautical career.

half seas over, Slang. partly or completely drunk: They came home at dawn, looking half seas over.Also half-seas over.

put to sea, to embark on a sea voyage: The expedition is nearly ready to put to sea.Also put out to sea.

Origin of sea

before 900; Middle English see,Old English sǣ; cognate with Dutch zee,German See,Old Norse sær sea, Gothic saiws marsh

Words nearby sea

SDR, SDRs, SDS, SDSL, Se, sea, sea anchor, sea anemone, sea aster, sea bag, sea bass

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sea in a sentence

There’s also a new altimeter to see how far above or below sea level you are.
Apple Watch Series 6 first impressions: A stretchy addition looks great|Aaron Pressman|September 17, 2020|Fortune
A couple months ago, the deep-sea servers were brought back up to the surface so engineers could inspect them and evaluate how they’d performed while under water.
Microsoft Had a Crazy Idea to Put Servers Under Water—and It Totally Worked|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|September 17, 2020|Singularity Hub
Rising seas can play a role in fighting climate change, her team finds.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 17, 2020|Science News For Students
Rising seas and increasingly violent hurricanes are making thousands of miles of American shoreline nearly uninhabitable.
Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration|by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Meridith Kohut|September 15, 2020|ProPublica

A complete collapse of the glacier, which some researchers estimate could happen within the next few decades, could increase sea levels by about 65 centimeters.
New maps show how warm water may reach Thwaites Glacier’s icy underbelly|Carolyn Gramling|September 9, 2020|Science News
My dad was a sailor, and all through my childhood he was away half of the time at sea, and to an extent I have a similar job.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is the only tourist center Ukraine has left on the Black Sea, since Russia annexed Crimea last spring.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The wreckage lies no more than around 100 feet down in the Java Sea.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And for those on the Palestinian right who still dream of driving the Jews into the sea, they too can forget it.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Search teams find dozens of people and jet debris floating in the Java Sea, as the airline confirms the wreckage is from QZ8501.
Wreckage, Bodies of AirAsia Crash Found|Lennox Samuels|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Edna did not reveal so much as all this to Madame Ratignolle that summer day when they sat with faces turned to the sea.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Edna Pontellier, casting her eyes about, had finally kept them at rest upon the sea.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The countries about the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and its adjoining waters.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
All things that are of the earth, shall return to the earth again, and all waters shall return to the sea.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Worst danger zone, the open sea, now traversed, but on land not yet out of the wood.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for sea

sea

/ (siː) /

noun

the sea the mass of salt water on the earth's surface as differentiated from the landRelated adjectives: marine, maritime, thalassic
(as modifier)sea air

(capital when part of place name)

one of the smaller areas of oceanthe Irish Sea
a large inland area of waterthe Caspian Sea

turbulence or swell, esp of considerable sizeheavy seas

(capital when part of a name) astronomy any of many huge dry plains on the surface of the moonSee also mare 2

anything resembling the sea in size or apparent limitlessness

the life or career of a sailor (esp in the phrase follow the sea)

at sea

on the ocean
in a state of confusion

go to sea to become a sailor

put to sea or put out to sea to embark on a sea voyage

Word Origin for sea

Old English sǣ; related to Old Norse sǣr, Old Frisian sē, Gothic saiws, Old High German sēo

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for sea

sea

[ sē ]

The continuous body of salt water that covers most of the Earth's surface.

A region of water within an ocean and partly enclosed by land, such as the North Sea. See Note at ocean.

A large body of either fresh or salt water that is completely enclosed by land, such as the Caspian Sea.

Astronomy A mare.

Other Idioms and Phrases with sea

sea

In addition to the idiom beginning with sea

sea legs
seal of approval
seal off
seal one's fate

also see:

at sea
between a rock and a hard place (devil and the deep blue sea)
high seas
not the only fish in the sea
put out (to sea)