open water
noun
plural open waters
: water that is clear of obstacles to passage or view : water that is open (see open entry 1 sense 7a)
The word marsh conjures up a mental picture of a soggy, flat area filled with cattails and other herbaceous vegetation, with ducks sitting on patches of open water.—
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
often, specifically
: water that is free of ice
When the river froze in the fall, a mile of open water had been left between two mighty jams. —Jack London
Jack London Polynyas were areas of persistent open water, found throughout the circumpolar arctic, places kept ice-free by currents and wind patterns. —David R. Masiel
David R. Masiel Because the penguins feed in the ocean, they typically set up colonies near open water and must establish new nests when the coastline becomes covered in … ice. —Science News
Science News Examples of open water in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Water quality is typically best in the morning and in open water with good circulation.
—Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2025
Crossing the Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand’s North and South Islands, last month was another step towards her goal of becoming the youngest person to complete the Oceans Seven – a series of brutal open water swims around the globe.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
However, rising water levels are expected to carry debris that was once on the shoreline out into open waters.
—Asher Redd, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Seabirds fly for thousands of miles across open water to reach Johnston Atoll, which sits alone amidst more than 570,000 square miles of ocean.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2025
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Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2025
Crossing the Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand’s North and South Islands, last month was another step towards her goal of becoming the youngest person to complete the Oceans Seven – a series of brutal open water swims around the globe.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
However, rising water levels are expected to carry debris that was once on the shoreline out into open waters.
—Asher Redd, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Seabirds fly for thousands of miles across open water to reach Johnston Atoll, which sits alone amidst more than 570,000 square miles of ocean.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open water
Cite this Entry
“Open water.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20water. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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