semisubmersible

adjective

semi·​sub·​mers·​ible ˌse-mē-səb-ˈmər-sə-bəl How to pronounce semisubmersible (audio)
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
: being a floating deepwater drilling platform that is towed to a desired location and then partially flooded for stabilization and usually anchored
semisubmersible noun

Examples of semisubmersible in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
About 80 percent of projects plan to use semisubmersible platforms, structures that float partly underwater and are moored to the seabed via chains. IEEE Spectrum, 12 May 2023 Gazelle Wind Power The company’s unique design combines the best features of semisubmersible and tension-leg platforms. IEEE Spectrum, 12 May 2023 To get an even closer look, clamber into a semisubmersible vessel and view the ocean from a few feet below the surface, or strap on an undersea helmet (complete with speakers and an air-supply hose) and stroll on the seafloor with a biologist guide. Emily Elert, Discover Magazine, 30 Mar. 2012 But capacity wasn’t the point: This was the first time anyone had put a multimegawatt turbine on a semisubmersible platform in the Atlantic Ocean. Judith Lewis Mernit, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2021 The platform pictured is a semisubmersible production facility, not a drilling platform. New York Times, 8 Jan. 2018 Psubs members have been tracking the development of the drug runners’ semisubmersible creations for years. Jim Popkin, WIRED, 29 Mar. 2011

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of semisubmersible was in 1962

Dictionary Entries Near semisubmersible

Cite this Entry

“Semisubmersible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semisubmersible. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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