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
Rivers, lakes and reservoirs further north are frozen solid, so the birds fly south to the lower Hudson Valley for open water fishing.
—Tony Aiello, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Many Minnesotans, including my own family, trace their history to immigrants who crossed open water without a guarantee of success.
—Marilyn Carlson Nelson, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
Fishermen transported large baskets of flowers by boat into open waters, while others threw flowers, costume jewelry, and vials of perfume into the sea.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Stronger the current on the lake, the more likely the ice will give to open water.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for open water
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Tony Aiello, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Many Minnesotans, including my own family, trace their history to immigrants who crossed open water without a guarantee of success.
—Marilyn Carlson Nelson, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
Fishermen transported large baskets of flowers by boat into open waters, while others threw flowers, costume jewelry, and vials of perfume into the sea.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Stronger the current on the lake, the more likely the ice will give to open water.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 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 14 Feb. 2026.
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