sea lion

American  

noun

• sea lions
  plural

1. any of several large eared seals, as Eumetopias jubatus Steller's sea lion, of the northern Pacific Ocean, and Zalophus californicus California sea lion, of the Pacific coast of North America.

2. Heraldry. a monster having the forepart of a lion, webbed forepaws, and the dorsal fin and tail of a fish.

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sea lion British  

noun

1. any of various large eared seals, such as Zalophus californianus ( Californian sea lion ), of the N Pacific, often used as a performing animal

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sea lions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sea lion

First recorded in 1595–1605

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sea lion

"The research is particularly important for the endangered Australian sea lion, which has an estimated population of only about 12,000 animals and relies on hearing for communication, finding food, navigation and detecting threats," Erbe said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Diving in the sapphire waters around it is the increasingly scarce Australian sea lion.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

A particularly massive sea lion has Bay Area tourists and residents flocking to Pier 39 in San Francisco to spot the mammal affectionately named “Chonkers.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

“Chonkers” is a Steller sea lion, which is a heftier variety of the species, compared to his California sea lion counterparts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Sometimes for a whole day they talked in sea lion grunts or frigate bird squawks or plankton wiggles.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

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