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

That cold dry air over warmer open water causes evaporation, providing moisture for lake-effect snow. —Richard B. (ricky) Rood, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2025

Lake effect snow occurs when cold air moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes creating snowfall, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist at the NWS Forecast office in Marquette. —Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 2 Jan. 2025

This option returns the pond to its full former glory including sluice gate repair, dredging the full pond area and recreational enhancements to include 5.7 acres of open water and two fishing platforms. —Erik S. Hanley, Journal Sentinel, 9 Dec. 2024

The first-ever facility, equipped with open water testing is set to begin operations off a seaside Oregon town next summer, Burke Hales, a professor of oceanography at Oregon State University who has involved in the launch, told ABC News. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above