sea

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sea 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.

Idioms

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

Synonyms for sea

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sea ON THESAURUS.COM

8. multitude, host, abundance, mass.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sea

surf, pond, expanse, lake, ocean, blue, abundance, profusion, sheet, plethora, brine, swell, drink, number, deep, briny, splash, main, multitude, waves

Examples from the Web for sea

Contemporary Examples of sea

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
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
On Monday, Soelistyo had jolted relatives as well as searchers by suggesting that the plane could be “at the bottom of the sea.”
Wreckage, Bodies of AirAsia Crash Found
Lennox Samuels
December 30, 2014
As night fell, the rescue operation slowed and sea conditions worsened.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 29, 2014
Still, I found myself agreeing with the older gentleman who saw the room as a sea of gentiles.
I Ate Potato Pancakes Til I Plotzed
Emily Shire
December 17, 2014

Historical Examples of sea

It seemed like one risen from the dead, for he supposed him lying at the bottom of the sea.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Then they launched the ship's boat, in which Bates had come to the island, and put out to sea.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
The two bent their steps to the shore, and looked out to sea.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Had the dead come back from the bottom of the sea to expose him?
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
He, too, plunged into the sea, and Bunsby and the captain were left alone.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for sea

sea

noun

the seathe 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

Word Origin and History for sea

Old English sæ "sheet of water, sea, lake, pool," from Proto-Germanic *saiwaz (cf. Old Saxon seo, Old Frisian se, Middle Dutch see, Swedish sjö), of unknown origin, outside connections "wholly doubtful" [Buck]. Meaning "large quantity" (of anything) is from c.1200. Meaning "dark area of the moon's surface" is attested from 1660s (see mare (n.2)).

Germanic languages also use the general Indo-European word (represented by English mere (n.)), but have no firm distinction between "sea" and "lake," either by size, by inland or open, or by salt vs. fresh. This may reflect the Baltic geography where the languages are thought to have originated. The two words are used more or less interchangeably in Germanic, and exist in opposite senses (e.g. Gothic saiws "lake," marei "sea;" but Dutch zee "sea," meer "lake"). Cf. also Old Norse sær "sea," but Danish sø, usually "lake" but "sea" in phrases. German See is "sea" (fem.) or "lake" (masc.). The single Old English word sæ glosses Latin mare, aequor, pontus, pelagus, and marmor.

Phrase sea change "transformation" is attested from 1610, first in Shakespeare ("The Tempest," I.ii). Sea anemone is from 1742; sea legs is from 1712; sea level from 1806; sea urchin from 1590s. At sea in the figurative sense of "perplexed" is attested from 1768, from literal sense of "out of sight of land" (c.1300).

sea in Science