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

Etymology

Origin of sea lion

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

The finals day of the World Surf League's New Zealand Pro event was paused after a photographer was attacked in the water by a sea creature that organisers believe was a shark or sea lion.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

“But one sea lion told another sea lion…”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

“When you see a sea lion, it’s ‘Oh no, we don’t want them anywhere near us,’” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

It brought major disruption to marine ecosystems: mass die-offs of seabirds, fishery disasters, kelp degradation, whale entanglements, sea lion starvation, fish migration and harmful algal blooms, Amaya said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

If you blended together a kid, a Doberman pinscher, and a sea lion, you’d get something like what I was looking at.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan