ocean
ocean — noun
1. the huge stretch of salty water wrapping around our planet, or any wide expanse
the huge stretch of salty water wrapping around our planet, or any wide expanse of it far from shore.
Maya stood on the cliff and watched the ocean crash against the dark rocks below.
the ocean as scenic backdrop
Plastic bottles and old fishing nets are slowly choking the ocean.
common environmental collocation
Carlos has always wanted to swim in the ocean instead of a hotel pool.
Whales travel thousands of kilometres across the ocean every year.
The little fishing boat looked tiny against the open ocean.
- land
the dry surface, opposite of the watery one
文法句型
the ocean
in/across/under the ocean
用法筆記
Almost always takes the definite article: 'the ocean'. American English uses 'the ocean' where British English often says 'the sea' for the same idea.
常見錯誤
2. any of the five separately named saltwater regions on Earth — Pacific, Atlantic,
any of the five separately named saltwater regions on Earth — Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, or Arctic — each treated as a distinct geographical area.
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the five oceans on Earth.
proper name pattern: the [Name] Ocean
Lina's grandmother sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Lisbon to New York in 1962.
across the [Name] Ocean
Many tropical storms form over the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
Scientists study melting ice along the edge of the Arctic Ocean every summer.
The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica and has some of the roughest waves in the world.
- sea
smaller named bodies (the Mediterranean Sea); not interchangeable with the named oceans
文法句型
the [Name] Ocean
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is countable and always paired with a capitalised name (the Pacific Ocean, two oceans). Sense 1 is the general mass of water and almost never plural.