# seawater

/ˈsiˌwɑtɝ/ (US) · /sˈiːwɔːtɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/seawater
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. saltwater from the ocean

noun · CEFR B1

the salty water that makes up the seas and oceans.

For teachers: the saline water of a sea or ocean. Uncountable in its general sense.

- After swimming in the ocean, his skin felt itchy from the dried seawater.
- The desalination plant was designed to process thousands of litres of seawater per hour to provide drinking water for the coastal city.

### 2. made of or using saltwater

adjective · CEFR B2 · Technical

describes something that is made of salty sea water or works with it.

For teachers: consisting of, associated with, or designed for use with seawater. Non-gradable; functions as an attributive adjective.

- The hotel has a large seawater swimming pool that overlooks the beach.
- Engineers had to select specific alloys for the seawater cooling system to prevent rapid corrosion from the high salt content.

## Examples

- You should not drink seawater because it is too salty.
- The coastal village installed a desalination plant to turn seawater into clean drinking water for the residents.
- Marine biologists monitored the rising temperature of the seawater to determine its impact on the local coral reef's fragile ecosystem and the migration patterns of indigenous fish species.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.