seawater

noun

sea·​wa·​ter ˈsē-ˌwȯ-tər How to pronounce seawater (audio)
-ˌwä-
: water in or from the sea

Examples of seawater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The lake cascaded into the Atlantic Ocean, where the freshwater pooled over the denser seawater, disrupting the convection current carrying warm water north from the tropics. Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 It would be built on concrete caissons, similar to stilts commonly seen in East Coast coastal communities, to allow seawater to wash under the home, according to the plans submitted to the Coastal Commission. Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, Israel’s flooding of the tunnels under parts of the Gaza Strip with seawater risks killing remaining crops, leaving the land too salty and rendering it unstable and prone to sinkholes. Yara M. Asi, The Conversation, 15 Feb. 2024 By the mid-2000s, when Cassini saw—and sampled—telltale plumes of seawater gushing from the south pole of Enceladus, a paradigm shift was clearly at hand: oceans were lurking practically everywhere scientists looked in the outer solar system. Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 7 Feb. 2024 Although found in nature, such as in seawater, rocks, and mineral deposits, magnesium is not found alone but in combination with other elements. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024 As scientists soon learned, the light hue stems from reactions between seawater and the rock tucked within Atlantis Massif. Quanta Magazine, 4 Jan. 2024 In addition, the smart DNA hydrogels used in the new concept incorporate functional DNA molecules that can respond to various stimuli, such as changes in pH or metal ions, and therefore can be used to extract uranyl ions found in low concentrations in seawater, according to the paper. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2023 The treatment technology is similar to the process used for desalinating seawater, but recycling wastewater requires less energy and is less costly than turning saltwater into freshwater. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seawater.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of seawater was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near seawater

Cite this Entry

“Seawater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seawater. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

seawater

noun
sea·​wa·​ter ˈsē-ˌwȯt-ər How to pronounce seawater (audio)
-ˌwät-
: water in or from the sea

More from Merriam-Webster on seawater

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