seal

Formsseals, sealing, sealed

Pluralseals

1. 1
   close tightlyverbtransitive

   To close something tightly, or shut something inside a container, so that nothing can get in or out or it cannot be opened unnoticed.

   Workers seal the pipe joints to prevent any gas from escaping.

   Seal the bottle tightly before packing it so the shampoo won't leak into your suitcase.

   UsageCommon patterns: seal something tightly, seal up a crack, seal in freshness.

   Similarclose, shut, plug, cap

   Oppositeopen

   Note

   Shakespeare stretches the leakproof sense to speech in The Second Part of Henry the Sixt: "Seal up your lips, and give no words but 'mum'." The up adds completeness. The image still works because whatever is sealed lets nothing out, whether gas, freshness or a secret. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • The quoted line occurs in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2; Hume speaks it in Act 1, Scene 2. folger.edu
2. 2
   marine mammalnouncountable

   A fin-footed sea mammal, including both true (earless) seals and eared seals such as sea lions.

   A seal surfaced near the kayak, its whiskered face dripping.

   Harbor seals haul out on sandbars to rest between dives.

   Note

   The animal has nothing to do with the stamp on a letter. Two unrelated words happen to share one spelling. Pinniped is the zoologist's umbrella term, covering true (earless) seals and eared seals alike. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • The animal word and the stamp word have separate etymologies. en.wiktionary.org
   • Pinnipeds include both true or earless seals and eared seals. en.wikipedia.org
3. 3
   nouncountable

   A part or substance, such as a rubber ring, that makes a tight closure at a joint, or the tight closure itself, keeping liquids or gases from leaking.

   The pump failed when its rubber seal cracked under pressure.

   Mechanics replaced the worn seals to stop the coolant from escaping.

   Similargasket, washer

4. 4
   make certainverbtransitive

   To make something firmly certain or guaranteed.

   A handshake over dinner finally sealed the deal that both sides had been negotiating for months.

   A single careless mistake can seal a climber's fate on the mountain.

   UsageSet phrases: seal the deal, seal someone's fate; a late goal seals the win.

   Similarclinch, secure, settle, confirm, cement

   Note

   Here the seal is an outcome that settles things: a last-minute goal seals a win, and a decision seals someone's fate. The subject is often the event that made the result certain rather than a person. Fate and destiny give the phrase a doom-laden ring; with wins it is simply decisive.

5. 5
   official emblemnouncountable

   A reproduced design serving as the official mark or symbol of an office or organization.

   A large presidential seal decorated the wall behind the stage.

   The city's seal, a lighthouse framed by two ships, is painted on every police car.

   Similaremblem, insignia, crest, stamp

6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To give wood, stone, concrete or a similar surface a protective finish that water and stains cannot get through.

   Seal granite countertops once a year to keep oil from soaking in.

   The contractor sealed the new driveway two weeks after pouring it.

   Similarwaterproof

   Note

   Home improvement talk often separates this from staining or painting: sealing is mainly meant to protect a surface, though some sealers also change its color. The product is a sealer or sealant, and the job often needs repeating, though how often depends on the surface and the product. A freshly sealed surface can make water bead up instead of soaking in. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • Sealing provides protection, but some sealers also add color, so this distinction is too absolute. thompsonswaterseal.com
   • Sealing often needs repeating. paintdocs.com
   • Reapplication frequency depends on the surface and product. concretecoloursystems.com.au
   • A sealed surface can cause water to bead rather than soak in. benjaminmoore.com
7. 7
   nouncountable

   An engraved stamp pressed into wax or another soft material, or the design it leaves.

   He pressed the seal into the molten wax to close the letter.

   Medieval nobles used personal seals engraved with their coats of arms.

   Similarstamp, signet, imprint

   Note

   Behind the stamp is Latin sigillum, "a little sign," a diminutive of signum. English also borrowed that Latin word as sigil, so the two are doublets. The word names both the engraved object and the mark it leaves in the wax. Shakespeare plays on this in Sonnet 11, where Nature carves the young man as her seal so that he will print more copies rather than let the pattern die. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • Seal derives ultimately from Latin sigillum, a diminutive of signum. en.wiktionary.org
   • Sigillum means 'little sign'; English borrowed it as sigil, a doublet of seal. en.wiktionary.org
   • Seal names both the stamping device and its impression. en.wikipedia.org
   • Shakespeare's Sonnet 11 depicts Nature carving the young man as her seal so that he will reproduce rather than let the pattern perish. folger.edu
8. 8
   approvalnounfigurativelycountable

   Something that confirms, guarantees or authenticates something, or shows that it is approved, as in 'seal of approval'.

   The committee's seal of approval cleared the product for sale.

   The film earned the critics' seal of approval within days of its release.

   UsageMost often seal of approval, often with a possessive: her mom's seal of approval.

   Similarstamp, mark

   Note

   The figurative use has largely settled into one phrase, seal of approval, usually with a possessive in front: her mom's seal of approval, the committee's seal of approval. The phrase borrows the authority of the stamped mark that once validated a document. Approval is pictured as an official act rather than a passing opinion. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • The figurative image rests on the historical use of stamped seals to authenticate documents. shakespeare.org.uk
9. 9
   guard against tamperingnouncountable

   A fastening that becomes visibly damaged if a container or covering is opened, whether or not it bears an official design.

   The shipping container's seal had been cut before it reached the port.

   Inspectors check that the seals on the rail cars remain intact.

   UsageUsual verbs: place a seal, break the seal; a seal remains intact.

   Note

   The tamper-evident kind does its work by breaking. What matters is not the design but the evidence that nobody has opened the thing. A broken seal on a meter can void a reading. When Pope Francis died in 2025, seals were placed on the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace and on his own rooms at the Casa Santa Marta, where he lived. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Tamper-evident seals break on opening, providing evidence of access. tga.gov.au
   • A broken meter seal can cause consumption to be estimated instead of accepting the meter reading. inuvik.ca
   • Following Pope Francis's death in 2025, seals were placed on the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace and his apartment at Casa Santa Marta, where he had lived. vaticannews.va
10. 10
    block accessverbtransitive

    To close off a place so that people or vehicles cannot cross it.

    Authorities sealed the bridge to stop anyone from crossing.

    Guards seal the gates whenever the alarm sounds.

    UsageOften seal off: police sealed off the street. Common in the passive: the border was sealed.

    Similarclose, block, obstruct

    Oppositeopen, reopen

    Note

    Here the closing is done by guards and barriers rather than wax or glue, so that a border, a bridge or a gate admits no one through. It stretches the verb of closing something tightly from a container to a whole place.

11. 11
    verbtransitivelaw

    To shut court or criminal records away from public inspection by official action, typically under a court order.

    The court sealed the divorce file to protect the couple's children.

    Prosecutors asked the judge to seal the search warrant until the arrests were made.

    Oppositeunseal

    Note

    Sealing hides a record rather than destroying it: the file still exists, and a court, and sometimes the police or certain licensing bodies, can still open it. That is the usual line drawn against expunging, which erases the record or treats the case as though it never happened. Documents kept this way are said to be under seal, and the exact rules differ from one jurisdiction to another. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 8 facts

    • Sealing preserves a record while restricting public access. ncsc.contentdm.oclc.org
    • A court can authorize access to sealed records. nycourts.gov
    • Law enforcement can sometimes access sealed records. nycourts.gov
    • Certain licensing bodies can sometimes access sealed records. ncsc.contentdm.oclc.org
    • Preservation rather than destruction is a recognized distinction between sealing and expungement. rccd.nv.gov
    • Expungement can cause a case to be treated as though it never happened. nycourts.gov
    • Documents protected by sealing are described as under seal. cacd.uscourts.gov
    • The legal effects and rules vary by jurisdiction. en.wikipedia.org
12. 12
    hunt for furverbintransitive

    To hunt seals, especially for their fur, oil, or meat.

    Coastal communities have sealed in these waters for generations.

    Crews would seal in Arctic waters through the harsh winter months.

    Note

    The hunting verb is mostly met as its noun, sealing, the name of the trade itself. A protest against sealing targets the hunt, not anything shut tight. It takes no object: crews seal in certain waters rather than seal an animal. Context has to separate it from the far commoner sealing that closes jars and envelopes, which is a different word, as explained under the animal itself. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • The animal and hunting word has a separate origin from the word for closing something: the animal word descends from Old English. en.wiktionary.org
    • The closing word instead comes through Anglo-Norman from Latin. en.wiktionary.org

Showing meanings only. Show all 20