sea wall

American

noun

a strong wall or embankment to prevent the encroachments of the sea, serve as a breakwater, etc.

sea wall British

noun

a wall or embankment built to prevent encroachment or erosion by the sea or to serve as a breakwater

"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

Other Word Forms

sea-walled

adjective

Etymology

Origin of sea wall

before 1000; Middle English; Old English: cliff over the sea

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

sea wall

Coastal development is a lightning rod in the Ocean State, yet no issue has animated locals like this sea wall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

This winter has also seen a section of sea wall collapse due to the onslaught of storms causing some disruption.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026

Bundy and the mayor led a driving tour of the shattered coastline, stopping at one property where the destruction of a home revealed a sea wall below with a pre-existing sinkhole.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026

They were among at least a dozen people watching swells from the sea wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2024

If she isn’t home, I walk down to the end of the historic cobbled street and find her standing on the sea wall in her raincoat and no shoes, glaring at the ocean.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023