high seas

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English[edit]

Noun[edit]

high seas pl (normally plural, singular high sea)

  1. (nautical) Regions of the ocean that are far from shore, especially those regions that do not belong to any country.
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. . . . For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.

Usage notes[edit]

  • Usually used in the plural form, although examples of the singular form can be found, as in:
  • c. 1830, James Fenimore Cooper, The Water Witch, ch. 16:
    "[T]he commander of this vessel must get a passport of Her Majesty's cruiser, ere she again enter the high sea."
  • Often used in the phrase on the high seas.

Translations[edit]