harbor seal

noun

: a small hair seal (Phoca vitulina) of oceanic coasts in the northern hemisphere that often ascends rivers

Examples of harbor seal 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.
Guests zoom down the river on a jet boat from Jerry’s Rogue Jets or take to the river in a gentler fashion, kayaking in calm currents, possibly to visit Sheila the harbor seal who generally spends her time on a rock just east of the lodge. Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025 The Seal Society was instrumental in the city’s decision in 2014 to close the beach at La Jolla’s Children’s Pool to the public from Dec. 15 to May 15 annually to keep humans and harbor seals separated during the seals’ pupping season. Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025 Something similar happened again in 2018, when an orca appeared to offer him a harbor seal pup. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 July 2025 Still, Morris explains why the resurgence of gray and harbor seals in the waters off Maine and Massachusetts is not welcome by fishermen; seals also are blamed for increases in shark activity along coastal beaches. Pat Tompkins, AFAR Media, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for harbor seal

Word History

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of harbor seal was in 1766

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Harbor seal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harbor%20seal. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!