▸ seal off
1 PHRASAL VERB If one object or area is sealed off from another, there is a physical barrier between them, so that nothing can pass between them. □ [be V -ed P ] Windows are usually sealed off. □ [V P n] …the anti-personnel door that sealed off the chamber. [Also V n P ]
2 → see seal ➊ 7
▸ seal up PHRASAL VERB If you seal something up , you close it completely so that nothing can get in or out. □ [V P n] The paper was used for sealing up holes in walls and roofs. [Also V n P ]
➋ seal /siː l/ (seals ) N‑COUNT A seal is a large animal with a rounded body and flat legs called flippers. Seals eat fish and live in and near the sea, usually in cold parts of the world. COLLOCATIONS seal NOUN ➊3
adjective + seal : airtight, waterproof; faulty
verb + seal : break, form VERB ➊8
seal + noun : deal, fate, victory, win
sea lane (sea lanes ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Sea lanes are particular routes which ships regularly use in order to cross a sea or ocean.
seal|ant /siː lənt/ (sealants ) N‑VAR A sealant is a substance that is used to seal holes, cracks, or gaps.
seal|er /siː lə r / (sealers ) N‑VAR A sealer is the same as a sealant .
sea lev|el also sea-level N‑UNCOUNT Sea level is the average level of the sea with respect to the land. The height of mountains or other areas is calculated in relation to sea level . □ The stadium was 2275 metres above sea level.
sea l|ing wax N‑UNCOUNT Sealing wax is a hard, usually red, substance that melts quickly and is used for putting seals on documents or letters.
sea lion (sea lions ) also sea-lion N‑COUNT A sea lion is a type of large seal.
seal|skin /siː lsk I n/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Sealskin is the fur of a seal, used to make coats and other clothing. □ …waterproof sealskin boots.
seam /siː m/ (seams )
1 N‑COUNT A seam is a line of stitches which joins two pieces of cloth together.
2 N‑COUNT A seam of coal is a long, narrow layer of it underneath the ground. □ The average U.K. coal seam is one metre thick.
3 PHRASE If something is coming apart at the seams or is falling apart at the seams , it is no longer working properly and may soon stop working completely. □ Britain's university system is in danger of falling apart at the seams.
4 PHRASE If a place is very full, you can say that it is bursting at the seams . □ The hotels of Warsaw, Prague and Budapest were bursting at the seams.
sea|man /siː mən/ (seamen ) N‑COUNT A seaman is a sailor, especially one who is not an officer. □ The men emigrate to work as seamen.
sea|man|ship /siː mənʃ I p/ N‑UNCOUNT Seamanship is skill in managing a boat and controlling its movement through the sea. □ …the art of seamanship and navigation.
seam|less /siː mləs/ ADJ You use seamless to describe something that has no breaks or gaps in it or which continues without stopping. □ It was a seamless procession of wonderful electronic music. ● seam|less|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ He has moved seamlessly from theory to practice.
seam|stress /siː mstrəs, se m-/ (seamstresses ) N‑COUNT A seamstress is a woman who sews and makes clothes as her job. [OLD-FASHIONED ]
seamy /siː mi/ (seamier , seamiest ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as seamy , you mean that it involves unpleasant aspects of life such as crime, sex, or violence. □ …Hamburg's seamy St Pauli's district.
se|ance /se I ɑːns/ (seances ) also séance N‑COUNT A seance is a meeting in which people try to make contact with people who have died.
sea|plane /siː ple I n/ (seaplanes ) N‑COUNT A seaplane is a type of aeroplane that can take off from or land on water.
sea|port /siː pɔː r t/ (seaports ) N‑COUNT A seaport is a town with a large harbour that is used by ships. □ …the Baltic seaport of Rostock.
sea pow|er (sea powers )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Sea power is the size and strength of a country's navy. □ The transformation of American sea power began in 1940.
2 N‑COUNT A sea power is a country that has a large navy.
sear /s I ə r / (sears , searing , seared )
1 VERB To sear something means to burn its surface with a sudden intense heat. □ [V n] Grass fires have seared the land near the farming village of Basekhai.
2 VERB If something sears a part of your body, it causes a painful burning feeling there. [LITERARY ] □ [V n] I distinctly felt the heat start to sear my throat.
3 → see also searing
search ◆◆◇ /sɜː r tʃ/ (searches , searching , searched )
1 VERB If you search for something or someone, you look carefully for them. □ [V + for ] The Turkish security forces have started searching for the missing men. □ [V + for ] Nonetheless there are signs that both sides may be searching for a compromise. [Also V ]
2 VERB If you search a place, you look carefully for something or someone there. □ [V n] Armed troops searched the hospital yesterday. □ [V n + for ] She searched her desk for the necessary information. □ [V prep] Relief workers are still searching through collapsed buildings looking for victims.