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

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

Polynyas were areas of persistent open water, found throughout the circumpolar arctic, places kept ice-free by currents and wind patterns. —

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

Examples of open water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Their final conflict goes down on Silver’s yacht in the middle of the open water, as Silver ridicules Kreese for his complicated relationship with Johnny. —

Nick Caruso, TVLine, 15 Feb. 2025 Those are caused when the atmosphere picks up moisture from open water and then dumps it back on land in the form of snow. —

Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025 The mola can then be seen swimming towards the open waters. —

Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025 That left it facing open water, so all the deputy had to do was push the fish into deeper water. —

Mark Price, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for open water