Synonyms

sea wall

American

noun

a strong wall or embankment to prevent the encroachments of the sea, serve as a breakwater, etc.

sea wall British

noun

a wall or embankment built to prevent encroachment or erosion by the sea or to serve as a breakwater

"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

Other Word Forms

sea-walled

adjective

Etymology

Origin of sea wall

before 1000; Middle English; Old English: cliff over the sea

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.

See Examples For:

sea wall

Recent weeks have seen a sea wall damaged in Long Beach, staircases destroyed in San Diego County and dozens of oceanfront mansions tagged as unsafe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

On another nearby property overlooking an ancient sea wall, excavations revealed two stone quarries "one Roman and the other Phoenician", she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has highlighted a failing tidal valve and crumbling sea wall which are letting salt water flood grazing marshland and wash away birds' nests and reed beds.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Using the alias Sienna, the three teenagers had messaged Cashford and arranged to meet him by the sea wall.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

Standing on the sea wall at Willemstad, sometimes I’d seen their fins in the water.

From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor

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