plural oceans
often attributive
1
a
: the whole body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the earth
The ocean covers most of our planet, regulates our weather and climate, absorbs vast amounts of carbon dioxide, provides most of our oxygen, and feeds much of the human population.—
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
b
: any of the large bodies of water into which the great ocean is divided
the oceans of the world
2
: a very large or unlimited quantity or expanse
Could have made oceans of money.—James Joyce
James JoyceHe would have oceans of time for his ride.—P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. WodehouseJutting from an ocean of prairie, they [the Sangre de Cristo mountains] run north-south like an iguana spine …—Skiing
SkiingExamples of ocean in a Sentence
We've sailed across hundreds of miles of ocean.
the Pacific and Indian oceans
Recent Examples on the Web
Manmade sources of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can seep into ocean waters and encourage the growth of algae blooms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2025
Courtesy of The Edition The Miami Beach Edition is somehow both a sanctuary and a social haven: their spacious guest rooms are adorned in warm calming neutrals and pale woods, many with balconies that look over the ocean.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
The carbonic acid is converted to a mineral called bicarbonate, which cannot re-gas to the atmosphere and eventually is washed into the ocean, where it is stored for about 10,000 years.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
And the pas de deux turns out to be the central metaphor of a series built on dualities, power struggles, romances, the attraction of opposites, the narcissism of small differences that divide counterparts on either side of an ocean.
—Judy Berman, Time, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ocean
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Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2025
Courtesy of The Edition The Miami Beach Edition is somehow both a sanctuary and a social haven: their spacious guest rooms are adorned in warm calming neutrals and pale woods, many with balconies that look over the ocean.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
The carbonic acid is converted to a mineral called bicarbonate, which cannot re-gas to the atmosphere and eventually is washed into the ocean, where it is stored for about 10,000 years.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
And the pas de deux turns out to be the central metaphor of a series built on dualities, power struggles, romances, the attraction of opposites, the narcissism of small differences that divide counterparts on either side of an ocean.
—Judy Berman, Time, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ocean
Cite this Entry
“Ocean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ocean. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ocean
noun1
: the whole body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the earth
2
: one of the large bodies of water into which the ocean is divided
oceanic
adjective
ˌō-shē-ˈan-ik
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