open water
noun
plural open waters
: water that is clear of obstacles to passage or view : water that is open (see open entry 1 sense 7a)
The word marsh conjures up a mental picture of a soggy, flat area filled with cattails and other herbaceous vegetation, with ducks sitting on patches of open water.—
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
often, specifically
: water that is free of ice
When the river froze in the fall, a mile of open water had been left between two mighty jams. —Jack London
Jack London Polynyas were areas of persistent open water, found throughout the circumpolar arctic, places kept ice-free by currents and wind patterns. —David R. Masiel
David R. Masiel Because the penguins feed in the ocean, they typically set up colonies near open water and must establish new nests when the coastline becomes covered in … ice. —Science News
Science News Examples of open water in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In May, even before summer arrived, the UK sweltered under a record-breaking heat wave, during which at least 19 people drowned in open water, 13 of them children, according to the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS).
—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
28 June 2026
Nolan and the cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, wielding heavy IMAX cameras, shot their picture across the Mediterranean and beyond, in caves, castles, beaches, black-sand wastes, and open water.
—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
The calm waters of the Chesapeake Bay make Cape Charles’s beaches especially great for little ones and adventurers looking to paddle board or kayak the open water.
—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
21 June 2026
Season 2 will switch to the open water, as a new thriller unfolds aboard a ship travelling across the Irish Sea.
—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for open water
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Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
28 June 2026
Nolan and the cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, wielding heavy IMAX cameras, shot their picture across the Mediterranean and beyond, in caves, castles, beaches, black-sand wastes, and open water.
—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
The calm waters of the Chesapeake Bay make Cape Charles’s beaches especially great for little ones and adventurers looking to paddle board or kayak the open water.
—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
21 June 2026
Season 2 will switch to the open water, as a new thriller unfolds aboard a ship travelling across the Irish Sea.
—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for open water
Cite this Entry
“Open water.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20water. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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