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

The original ship, the Disney Magic, had its maiden voyage in 1998, and was the first of its kind vessel to invite seaward vacationers to combine their love of open water and crystal blue waters with their fondness for Mickey, Minnie, and the whole Disney crew. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 19 Nov. 2024

This is typically when smallmouth will move off of structure and into deeper, open water. —Kubie Brown, Outdoor Life, 3 Oct. 2024

Marathon swimmers must race in open water Marathon swimming is a fairly new discipline added to the Summer Olympics. —Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2024

Lake-effect snowstorms occur when cold, dry air travels over open water, sucking up moisture that is released when the air mass hits land. —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above