sea level
Americannoun
noun
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The level of the ocean's surface. Sea level at a particular location changes regularly with the tides and irregularly due to conditions such as wind and currents. Other factors that contribute to such fluctuation include water temperature and salinity, air pressure, seasonal changes, the amount of stream runoff, and the amount of water that is stored as ice or snow.
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◆ The reference point used as a standard for determining terrestrial and atmospheric elevation or ocean depths is called the mean sea level and is calculated as the average of hourly tide levels measured by mechanical tide gauges over extended periods of time.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sea level
First recorded in 1800–10
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.
Which brings us to the lucha libre going down on Sunday night inside a concrete ring perched 7,300 feet above sea level in the smog and the noise of Mexico City.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
The English not only have to contend with ghost of Maradona’s two goals, but also the altitude in Mexico City, which is about 7,350 feet above sea level.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
Mexico City has an average elevation of approximately 2,240 metres above sea level, meaning there is less oxygen available.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Flooding from heavy rainfall, plus sea level rise from coastal extremes were also identified as future risks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
A forlorn plateau of bulletproof ice and windswept boulders 26,000 feet above sea level, it occupies a broad notch between the upper ramparts of Lhotse and Everest.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
