sea lion

American

noun

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

sea lion British

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of sea lion

First recorded in 1595–1605

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.

At first he thought it was a seal or a sea lion.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2025

A 9-year-old girl is recovering after being bitten by a sea lion while surfing in Monterey County, according to news reports.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025

“They want to talk about sea lion predation on salmon.”

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2025

Ronan the sea lion can dance to a lot of different songs, but there is something about “Boogie Wonderland,” by Earth, Wind and Fire that really gets her going.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2025

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

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