/ siː; NAmE / noun
1.
(often the sea ) [ U ] (also literary seas [ pl. ]) ( especially BrE ) the salt water that covers most of the earth's surface and surrounds its continents and islands :
to travel by sea
a cottage by the sea
The waste was dumped in the sea .
The wreck is lying at the bottom of the sea.
We left port and headed for the open sea (= far away from land) .
the cold seas of the Arctic
a sea voyage
a hotel room with sea view
—see also the high seas , ocean
2.
[ C ] (often Sea , especially as part of a name) a large area of salt water that is part of an ocean or surrounded by land :
the North Sea
the Caspian Sea
3.
[ C ] (also seas [ pl. ]) the movement of the waves of the sea :
It was a calm sea.
The sea was very rough.
4.
[ sing. ] sea of sth a large amount of sth that stretches over a wide area :
He looked down at the sea of smiling faces before him.
•
IDIOMS
- at sea
- go to sea
- out to sea
- put (out) to sea
—more at devil , fish noun
••
BRITISH / AMERICAN
sea / ocean
In BrE , the usual word for the mass of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface is the sea . In NAmE , the usual word is the ocean :
A swimmer drowned in the sea /ocean this morning.
The names of particular areas of seas, however, are fixed:
the Mediterranean Sea
•
the Atlantic Ocean
.
Sea / ocean are also used if you go to the coast on holiday / vacation:
We're spending a week by the sea / at the ocean in June
. In NAmE it is also common to say:
We're going to the beach for vacation.
· note at coast
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English sǣ , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zee and German See .