Meaning & use
sea spray
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Meanings
noununcountable
Tiny drops of salty water thrown into the air when waves break or wind blows across the sea.
Grammar: Used without an or the plural: we were soaked by sea spray.
Patterns
- a mist of sea spray
- covered in sea spray
Sea spray stung our faces as the ferry crossed the channel.
The cliffs were wet with sea spray even on a sunny day.
A cold sea spray blew across the harbor wall.
noununcountableinformal
A hair product, often made with salt, that is sprayed on to give hair a loose, beachy texture.
Grammar: Used for the product in general: she used sea spray on her curls.
Patterns
- use sea spray
- sea spray on hair
She sprayed some sea spray on her hair and scrunched it for waves.
A bottle of sea spray sat on the bathroom shelf.
The stylist recommended sea spray for a relaxed look.
Common combinations
- salty sea spray
- Salty sea spray covered the windows.
- a fine sea spray
- A fine sea spray drifted over the beach.
- drenched in sea spray
- We were drenched in sea spray on the boat.
- sea spray corrosion
- Sea spray corrosion damaged the metal railings.
- wind and sea spray
- Wind and sea spray battered the lighthouse.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spindrift
- Spindrift is a poetic word for spray blown from wave tops by strong wind, while sea spray is the ordinary term.
- spume
- Spume refers to foam on the sea's surface, not to droplets in the air.
- spray
- Spray is broader and can come from anything, such as a fountain, while sea spray comes from the sea.
- sea mist
- Sea mist is fog that forms over the sea, which is lighter and more drifting than the droplets of sea spray.
Word family
Commonly confused: sea spray or surf?
sea spray vs surf
Surf is the waves breaking on a shore, while sea spray is the water droplets thrown into the air by them.
Practice
The sailors wore waterproof jackets because ___ soaked the deck every few minutes.
Choose one answer.
Sea spray is droplets of seawater thrown by waves, which could soak a deck. A sea breeze is moving air and sea level is a height, so neither wets the deck.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sea spray”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.