South China Sea

American  

noun

1. a part of the western Pacific, bounded by southeastern China, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Philippines.

---

South China Sea British  

noun

1. part of the Pacific surrounded by SE China, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Philippines

---

Etymology

Origin of South China Sea

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

According to reporting in the New York Times, the military redirected the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the Middle East to support Operation Epic Fury.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

The two projectiles hit the target, a retired Philippines navy corvette, around 75 kilometres offshore in the South China Sea, causing it to sink, officials said.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

The two sides also agreed to deepen security cooperation and "reaffirmed the importance of resolving disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful means based on international law," according to the Vietnamese prime minister.

From Barron's • May 2, 2026

According to trade analytics group Kpler, more than 46 million barrels of Iranian crude oil - several days' worth of energy - currently sit in tankers along the South China Sea.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

In the South China Sea, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, twenty-six-year-old Navy Lieutenant Everett Alvarez zipped up his flight suit.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin