sea level
Americannoun
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sea levels
plural
noun
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The level of the ocean's surface. Sea level at a particular location changes regularly with the tides and irregularly due to conditions such as wind and currents. Other factors that contribute to such fluctuation include water temperature and salinity, air pressure, seasonal changes, the amount of stream runoff, and the amount of water that is stored as ice or snow.
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◆ The reference point used as a standard for determining terrestrial and atmospheric elevation or ocean depths is called the mean sea level and is calculated as the average of hourly tide levels measured by mechanical tide gauges over extended periods of time.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sea level
First recorded in 1800–10
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.
The California coast has also been dealing with a long-lasting marine heat wave unrelated to El Niño, which can also raise the sea level.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Its known range covers more than 67,000 square kilometers across the Chocó forests of western Ecuador and southern Colombia, from sea level to elevations of 1,200 meters.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026
The glacier in question lies to the north of Langtang Lirung, a peak more than 7,000 metres above sea level in the Himalayas.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Over the past 125 years, the average sea level in San Francisco Bay, for example, has already risen by about 1 foot — an increase experts link to human-caused climate change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
An inch and a half above sea level.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
