sea
[noun]
Synonyms:
- ocean, main, the deep, the waves
- expanse, abundance, mass, multitude, plethora, profusion
- at sea: bewildered, baffled, confused, lost, mystified, puzzled

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English Thesaurus: the sea, the ocean, waters, bay, gulf, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

sea S2 W1 /siː/ noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: sæ]

1. [uncountable and countable] especially British English the large area of salty water that covers much of the Earth’s surface Synonym : ocean:
Jay stripped his clothes off and ran into the sea.
Most exports went by sea.
a little cottage by the sea
He spent over 30 years at sea.
They stood side by side looking out to sea.

2. [countable] a large area of salty water that is mostly enclosed by land:
the Mediterranean Sea

3. sea of something a very large number of people or things that all look similar:
He looked out at the sea of faces.

4. (all) at sea confused or not sure what to do:
Living in a foreign country can mean you’re always at sea about what’s going on.

5. the seas literary the sea – used especially when you are not talking about a particular ocean
across the seas (=far away)
They came from lands across the seas.

6. [countable] one of the broad areas that seem flat on the moon and Mars

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

sea
noun
I. large area of salt water
ADJ. calm, smooth a calm sea after the storm
choppy, rough The sea was too rough for sailing in small boats.
deep | shallow | blue, grey | cold | warm | inland | open The fishing boats headed for the open sea.
VERB + SEA cross We crossed the Mediterranean Sea on a cruise ship.
go to (= become a sailor) | put (out) to The ship put to sea (= left port) in deteriorating weather conditions.
be lost at They were lost at sea when their ship sank en route for Madeira.
stare out to She stood on the cliff, staring out to sea.
SEA + VERB rise In recent years the sea has risen by a couple of inches.
recede, retreat The sea has retreated a little since the river was diverted.
SEA + NOUN water | bottom, floor | breeze | creature | port (also seaport), voyage | cliff, front, view
PREP. at ~ We spent three weeks at sea.
across the ~ We sailed across the Black Sea in a yacht.
by (the) ~ We sent our furniture by sea. They live by the sea.
down to the ~ We'll go down to the sea for a swim before dinner.
in/into the ~ I love swimming in the sea!
on the ~ three ships sailing on the sea
out to ~ She fell overboard and was swept out to sea.
PHRASES the bottom/edge/middle/surface of the sea, the boom/booming/murmur/roar/sound of the sea

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sea
II. (also
the seas) movement of the waves of the sea
ADJ. choppy, dangerous, heavy, mountainous, raging, rough, stormy A week of heavy seas has created problems for fishermen.
VERB + SEA roam, sail He has sailed the seven seas.
PHRASES on the high seas, the seven seas

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sea
III. large amount of sth
ADJ. vast
PREP. ~ of She scanned the vast sea of faces below her.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sea

blue
The sun shone brightly upon the clear blue sea.
calm
The sea was perfectly calm.
rough (=with big waves)
The sea was too rough to swim in.
choppy (=with a lot of small waves)
The wind was starting to pick up and the sea was becoming choppy.
The yachts bobbed around on the choppy sea.
heavy seas (=a rough sea)
The tanker split apart and sank in heavy seas.
a stormy sea
a picture of a battleship in a stormy sea
the open sea (=the part of the sea that is far away from land)
Rescuers are trying to drive the stranded whales back out into the open sea.
the deep sea (=the water deep under the surface of the sea)
The deep sea is the most unexplored area left on the planet.
cross the sea
Our ancestors crossed the sea in small boats.
go to sea (=go to work on a ship)
He went to sea when he was eighteen.
put to sea (=sail a boat away from land)
The refugees put to sea in rickety rafts.
be lost at sea formal (=be drowned in the sea)
His father had been lost at sea three months before.
be swept out to sea (=be taken far away from land by the sea)
They had to rescue three young canoeists who were swept out to sea.
sea water
Removing salt from sea water is an expensive process.
a sea view
All the bedrooms have a sea view.
sea level
Average sea levels are rising year on year.
the sea air (=the air close to the sea)
He breathed in the fresh sea air.
the sea bed (also the sea floor) (=the land at the bottom of the sea)
A lot of these small creatures feed on the sea bed.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sea
noun
BAD: Every day Kino went out to the sea to look for the pearl.
GOOD: Every day Kino went out to sea to look for the pearl.

Usage Note:
go/head/swim/drift etc out to sea (WITHOUT the ): 'Just ten minutes after getting on board, we were heading out to sea.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

the sea especially British English the large area of salty water that covers much of the Earth’s surface:
She lives by the sea.
The sea was very rough.
the ocean especially American English the large area of salty water that covers much of the Earth’s surface:
a house by the ocean
The restaurant had a sweeping view of the ocean.
waters a large area of water – used about an area of water that belongs to a particular country, or when describing what the water is like:
boats fishing in Canadian waters
British territorial waters
the calm waters of the harbour
dangerous waters
choppy waters (=with a lot of waves)
bay an area of sea that is partly enclosed by a curve in the land:
I swam across the bay.
the Bay of Biscay
gulf a very large area of sea partly enclosed by land:
the Gulf of Mexico
oil from the Gulf (=the area of water near Iran, Saudi Arabia etc)
tide the regular rising and falling of the level of the sea:
Is the tide going out or coming in ?
High tide (=when the sea is at its highest level)is at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
low tide (=when the sea is at its lowest level)
The rocks are visible at low tide.
wave a line of raised water that moves across the surface of the sea:
The waves were crashing against the rocks.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

sea
si:
See: at sea , between the devil and the deep blue sea , high seas , not the only fish in the sea , put to sea

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

SEA
See: Single European Act

[TahlilGaran] Acronyms and Abbreviations Dictionary ▲