ocean
Pluraloceans
- 1The vast body of salt water covering most of the earth, or one of the major areas into which it is divided.
The Pacific is the largest ocean on the planet.
Early sailors crossed the ocean in small wooden ships, steering by the stars.
UsageNamed oceans take the: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic. You cross the ocean or an ocean.
Similarsea
- 2A vast expanse or amount of something, seemingly without limits.
After the announcement, the spokesperson faced an ocean of questions from reporters.
The new recruits felt lost in an ocean of unfamiliar rules and forms.
UsageAn ocean of + noun, or oceans of: an ocean of paperwork, oceans of time.
Note
Hyperbole with a fixed frame: an ocean of plus a noun, as in an ocean of difference, or Leiber and Stoller's "Poison Ivy" (1959), which uses it for the amount of anti-itch lotion you will need. The frame can be solemn, as in the boundless ocean of eternity, or comic, as in that song.
- 3A shade of blue resembling the color of the sea.
He chose ocean for the window trim, a blue that recalled the open water.
The jacket comes in charcoal, sand, and ocean, and the ocean sold out within a week.
Practice
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Origin
This word came through Middle English from Old French occean, from Latin Ōceanus, which originally came from Ancient Greek Ōkeanós, the name of a water deity. It replaced the native Old English word gārseċġ.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- Ocean came through Middle English from Old French occean, from Latin Ōceanus, from Ancient Greek Ōkeanós. en.wiktionary.org
- Ōkeanós was the name of a water deity. en.wiktionary.org
- Ocean replaced the native Old English word gārseċġ. en.wiktionary.org