sea breeze

American  

noun

1. a thermally produced wind blowing from a cool ocean surface onto adjoining warm land.

---

sea breeze British  

noun

1. a wind blowing from the sea to the land, esp during the day when the land surface is warmer

---

sea breeze Cultural  

1. The breeze that blows from the sea toward the land during the day, as air rising over the warmer land is replaced by cooler air from above the sea. (Compare land breeze.)

---

Etymology

Origin of sea breeze

First recorded in 1690–1700

Compare meaning

How does sea-breeze compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• land breeze vs. sea breeze

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sea breeze

"When the sea is warm, we get less alleviation at nighttime because there's no coolness coming from the ocean. There's no sea breeze," Burgess said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Bottle bio: From the North Fork of Long Island, N.Y., it opens with aromas of lime zest, green apple, white peach and sea breeze.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Things are expected to then cool off a bit Friday due to a stronger sea breeze and partly cloudy skies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

Thousands of colorful parasols fluttered in the sea breeze, and people dipped into the waves.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2024

Muddy palm in muddy palm they sat, and the sea breeze was quiet.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt